A Prophecy Fulfilled
by Clintodon
Summary: The prophecy of the Delta Rune said that the Underground would go empty, but what if someone is left behind? Not that Frisk's thinking about prophecies. His mind's on the one person he couldn't save. Someone he can't bear to leave. Someone he can't help on his own. But there's one last thing he can try... The story isn't over until the Underground is empty.
1. Prologue

PROLOGUE

"SINCE WHEN WERE YOU THE ONE IN CONTROL?"

The dreamer awoke with a gasp, then groaned, rubbing their face. Another nightmare. Another vision of destruction. Another dead end.

They shivered in the cool morning air, then pulled on a robe and walked to the cliff looking out over the valley. It was spring, and the fields and hills were green, the air full of the scent of plants and flowers. There were other shapes moving in the growing light, as humans and monsters began the day's work together. Everything was as it should be.

And it was all going to fall apart.

Not in the dreamer's lifetime. They would be long, long dead and forgotten when the war came, and the monsters were defeated by the humans. When they were sealed underground.

When the tragedies began.

They stared at the vale of men and monsters and sighed. Looking out across a spring morning filled with happiness and harmony, it seemed beyond belief that things would ever change. But they knew better. The dreams had come too many times, and with too consistent a message, to doubt their truth.

The dreamer was not without hope. Not all of the dreams had ended with the death of all things. Most had ended in lesser evils; in sadness, in imperfection and the promise of more suffering. A few had ended well, in freedom and peace. But for each of the good dreams, there had been more bad ones. And the nightmares...

There was no avoiding it. The dreamer straightened their shoulders and took a deep breath. They needed to make a prophecy.

It was a prospect that filled them with dread. Prophecies were both delicate and dangerous. Too specific, and time and chance would break the prophecy. Too vague, and the prophecy would not have the power to change the future. And a successful prophecy was often unpredictable in its final outcome, even with great care taken in its creation.

A prophecy could even cause the nightmare to come true. Stories about the hazards of prophecies and magic bargains, of disasters made real by the very efforts taken to stop them, had good reason to be remembered and heeded. It might be safer to ignore the dreams, to let time take its course without the effect of prophecy, the weight of mass belief and determination concentrated into a power that could bend time and fate themselves.

But... the dreamer could not do that. They couldn't take that chance, even knowing that the prophecy might bring about the end they dreaded. The dreams were too definite, too insistent, for the dreamer to ignore them. And if they could give the good dreams a chance... even a chance that allowed the possibility of the nightmare's coming true...

The dreamer nodded, decision made. They would make a prophecy. It would need a symbol to act as a reminder and a reinforcement, an anchor, to help guide it. If they patterned it after the good dreams, perhaps they could encourage that outcome. It would have to be subtle; the prophecy, and the symbol, had to encompass all possibilities to give the prophecy its full strength and prevent its being broken. The best the dreamer could do would be to give the future the best chance they possibly could; to put the weight of monsters' belief and determination into the prophecy, and hope that things would turn out well.

"Please... please, let it turn out for the best."

x*****x

Sans waited in the golden light of the chapel. Nothing moved except the glow in his eye sockets, growing and fading as he waited for the killer to approach.

He wasn't going to win. The nightmare always ended the same way. But he still had to try.

He heard steps coming down the hall and shifted. Time to get ready.

The kid walked in. He was carrying a knife and wearing the same bandage he'd had when he came out of the ruins. He was covered in dust, his purple and blue striped shirt coated with a layer of transparent gray, his face a dusty mask with tear streaks running through it. He looked pathetic.

And he had killed everyone he could reach.

Every place in the Underground where he had passed, empty. Snowdin. The Waterfall. Hotland. The Core. And all who tried to stop him, killed. The Royal Guards. Undyne. Muffett. Mettaton.

Papyrus...

Sans' left eyesocket flickered with blue light.

The boy trudged on, finally looking at him as he approached. "Sans." His voice was toneless, dead.

"heya. you've been busy, huh?"

The boy's right eyelid twitched.

"so, i've got a question for ya. do you think even the worst person can change...? that everybody can be a good person, if they just try?"

"Yes."

Sans hadn't expected an answer - none of his nightmares had spoken before.

"then why are you doing this?"

"It's the last thing to try."

"right. gotten bored with everything else? time to see what killing is like?"

"No. I tried everything else first. Everything easier. This is the last thing that might work."

"heh. kid, i like puzzles, but this is a bit much. and for a dirty brother killer-"

The kid shuddered.

"-you sure don't sound that determined about killing everyone."

"... I have to. I have to try. If this doesn't work... I'll fix it."

"fix it." Sans' left eyesocket blinked blue. "go back and do it all over again, and then what? kill everyone again? make another set of nightmares?"

A headshake. "No. This is the last thing I haven't tried. After this, I make the best ending I can. If this doesn't work... if I can't save him..." The mask of the kid's face had fresh tears running down it, making new lines and deepening old ones, but now it tightened. "Either way, this is it. This is my last time. No more killing after this."

"kid, nothing you're saying makes sense." Looking at his EXP and LOVE only made things more confusing. He had all the EXtermination Points he'd expect, but... no LOVE. How could he kill without raising his Level Of ViolencE?

There was a pause before the kid spoke again. "There's only one thing I haven't done. One... person... I haven't met. This is the only way to find them."

"so you're trying to save someone. by killing everyone. seems a bit backwards."

"It's the only way left."

"kid, i still don't know what you're talking about. but you've killed enough already. i'm not letting you past here. and if you take another step..." The light in Sans' eyesockets went out. "...you're gonna have a bad time."

"Sans... I already am."

x******x

Sans sat back, watching. The kid hadn't said anything since the fight started, just avoided Sans' attacks and swung his knife. He didn't seem to be putting any effort into the blows, but they were close enough to make Sans dodge. There was no change in the kid's face; it was still the same tear-stained mask.

The kid couldn't take hits - he had no LOVE - how could he have no LOVE, with all those EXP? - but his dodging was nearly perfect. He must have done this... 20 times? More? But now it was time to sit and wait. Sans wasn't hopeful - the kid had clearly done this too many times to believe he'd just get bored - but it was worth a try.

Sans' eyesockets flickered. Keeping this up - the all-out attacks, the constant dodging when he couldn't afford to be hit even once, however lightly - was exhausting. His sockets flickered again, and he slept. He'd be fine. The kid was boxed in, and if he did get out, he'd feel the kid's intent to hurt him-

The knife hit him.

Sans' eyesockets snapped alight, looking up as the kid gazed down at him. He hadn't felt the kid's intent. How? How could you murder someone without wanting to hurt them?

The mask had new tear lines. "I'm sorry, Sans."

"kid. just tell me one thing. why?"

"There's someone I have to help. Sans... I will make this up to you. To all of you. I will make this right, whatever it takes. I promise it, Sans."

Sans stared up at the weeping mask as his bones crumbled and his vision faded...

x*****x

His sockets blinked to light.

Sans sat up. Yep, still in bed at home. Just another nightmare. But that one... The others had been pretty straightforward, with a relentless killer in a kid's body. He'd never been talked to in the nightmare before. Or seen the kid cry.

Sans reached for a piece of paper. The other nightmares were all the same. They burned his memory until he couldn't forget them. This one, though... this one, he thought he should try to remember.


	2. Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE

Frisk watched as Sans crumbled, tears streaming down the dust-covered mask of his face. Then he turned and continued down the golden corridor. He walked slowly, trudging, shoulders slumped and head hanging. His chest hurt - it always did now, but the pain had become noticeable again.

He turned the last corner. It was all the same. The throne room covered in golden flowers. Asgore talking to a crying flower. Again.

Asgore asking if they could discuss things over tea. Again.

His hand trying to move without his will, his feet without his consent, and his determination forcing them to obey his orders, again.

Killing Asgore, with his will in control, and the responsibility belonging only to him.

AGAIN.

And then, Flowey. Begging for his life.

"Please don't kill me."

Shaking hands. The other presence trying to kill for him. A memory. DETERMINATION.

"Asriel... I'm sorry."

The knife split the flower.

Silence. Then - for the first time - he heard another voice inside of him clearly.

(Greetings. I am Chara.)

(Yes. You've finally decided to come out, then?)

(Since you've done what I asked, I might as well. You're still pathetic though. Really - what were you doing by refusing LOVE, giving yourself a challenge?)

(I didn't want LOVE. I wanted - NEEDED - to find you, and you refused to come out.)

(You understand why, of course. I couldn't DO anything myself, without a body. I had to find someone else for that, and however much you cried about it, you've finally done it. Everything's finished here. And now it's time to finish everything else. To destroy this rotten world.)

(No.)

The voice laughed. (You think you have a choice?)

(Yes. I chose to find you. I chose to kill to bring you out. And I do not choose to end the world.)

(You think you can stop me?)

Frisk's limbs trembled as Chara's will fought his.

(You've done such a good job already, partner, why not finish it? We've nearly made a clean sweep. All the weak monsters are hiding, and the interesting ones are gone now. The fish knight, the skeleton comedian, my pathetic "brother"-)

ASRIEL.

Frisk's limbs stilled.

(What, new determination? You care so much about the flower you just KILLED? Idiot. It's time to end this-)

(Yes. But not by destroying the world.)

(Oh? And what do you have in mind?)

(A bargain.)

(Something interesting, I hope?)

(You want power. You've seen my determination. Come with me through a reset, WITHOUT killing anyone, and I'll show you where it comes from.)

(Why bother? I can finish things right now.)

The shape of a smiling boy appeared, carrying a knife, and cut into Frisk's heart. It split. It felt like it would break...

But it refused.

(Curious.) Chara slashed at Frisk's soul methodically, splitting it from the top, the sides, diagonally, as though it were an oddly-shaped pie.

Frisk refused to die.

(What the hell?) Chara began to hack frenziedly. Dozens of soul-killing blows rained down on Frisk. The pain seemed unendurable. It seemed that he must break, must give up.

He remained determined.

(WHY WON'T YOU DIE?!)

(You should have paid more attention. Why do you think I never gained any LOVE?)

(Besides being a PATHETIC IDIOT?!)

(I never stopped feeling what I was doing. Every time I hit someone, it felt like I was hitting myself. That I died when they died. Then, when I didn't kill Asriel and you refused to come out, I did it again. I've died with everyone, TWICE, and stayed alive. YOU can't kill me.)

Frisk paused.

(But I can kill myself.)

(And kill everyone again? Fine with me.)

(If I do kill myself, I'm determined to not come back. And I'll take you with me.)

(You think I'd let you do that?!)

Frisk aimed the garden knife at his chest. Muscles twitched, fighting against his will, but his movements did not falter as he brought the knife towards himself.

(You can't stop me.)

(How the hell does a crybaby weakling get this kind of determination?!)

(You can come back with me and find out, or I can destroy us both and save what's left of the world. One way or the other.)

(Saving what? You know it isn't worth it. Humans certainly aren't.)

(Some of them are. And this part definitely is.)

(What's left of it, you mean? After you've killed everyone you can reach?)

(...You are my last chance to help someone. I need you.)

(For what?)

(You'll see when we get there. Now, will you agree to come?)

(...I might as well. I can at least see what gives a sentimental idiot so much determination.)

Time reset. Again.


	3. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

(You know, Asriel's right. You really are an idiot, falling for that trick! Letting everyone get together for a heart to heart, ripe for soul-stealing. I really must hand it to my brother, he did a good job this time. If he stays in shape after the reset, maybe I'll keep him after all. AND he thinks you're me-at least he's almost right for once!)

Frisk sighed internally as he dodged more of the reincarnated Asriel's attacks. Chara hadn't changed since resetting the timeline. He had mostly ignored Frisk's activities once it was clear that Frisk wasn't going to kill anyone, and when he did pay attention temporarily it was only to ask Frisk about his determination, or to pour out a stream of contempt, ridicule and mockery.

Frisk didn't know if this would work. He hadn't lost control yet, but he could feel his determination slipping. He just had to hold on a bit longer...

He jerked, avoiding another falling star.

(Almost there.)

(Good. Seriously, he's got all this power, why isn't he just finishing you off?)

(That's the next part.)

x******x  
Frisk refused to die. He dodged Asriel's attacks. He reminded his friends of who they were.

(Great, so you've saved them. Six monster souls out of how many hundreds? And this helps you... how?)

(Chara.)

(What? You know I'm right-)

(CHARA.)

(What?)

(You wanted to know how I got all this determination?)

(Of course. It's the only worthwhile thing about you.)

(Then pay attention for the next bit.)

(...Fine.)

Frisk spoke to Asriel. He reminded Asriel of Chara, of how much Asriel had loved him.

(Oh, sure. Made him a perfect tool. He did everything I asked him to. Until he got us BOTH KILLED!)

"Chara - do you know why I'm doing this? Why I keep fighting to keep you around?"

(Because you're an idiot?)

"I'm doing this... because you're special, Chara. You're the only one that understands me. You're the only one who's any fun to play with anymore."

(Damn right. We could have been great partners, if you hadn't MESSED IT UP.)

"No, that's not just it. I... I'm doing this because I care about you, Chara! I care more about you than anyone else!"

(THEN WHY DID YOU LET US DIE?!)

"I'm not ready for this to end. I'm not ready for you to leave. I'm not ready to say goodbye to someone like you again. So PLEASE... STOP doing this, and JUST LET ME WIN!"

(Still a cry-DAMN!)

Frisk's determination rose to the challenge again. He held on as Asriel's beam burned his soul, refusing to let go or give in.

"STOP IT!"

Frisk persevered.

"STOP IT NOW!"

Until, finally, it was over.

Again.

"Chara..."

(You're giving up already? Why?)

"I'm so alone, Chara... I'm so afraid, Chara..."

(Afraid of what? You've got the power of a god! What are you DOING?!)

Asriel returned to his child's form.

"Chara... I... I'm so sorry. I always was a crybaby, wasn't I, Chara?"

(Still are.)

"...I know. You're not really Chara, are you? Chara's been gone for a long time."

(Ooh! Let me talk, will you?)

(No. Later.)

(Come on, just-)

(NO.)

(Fine. That secret of determination had better show up soon!)

(It will. We're almost there. But this is part of it, so keep watching.)

(FINE.)

"Um, what IS your name? Frisk? That's a nice name. Frisk... I haven't felt like this for a long time. As a flower, I was soulless. I lacked the power to love people."

(So?)

"However, with everyone's souls inside me, I not only have my own compassion back... but I can feel every other monster's as well. They all care about each other so much. And ... they care about you too, Frisk."

(How much more of this is there?!)

"I wish I could tell you how everyone feels about you. Papyrus... Sans... Undyne... Alphys... Toriel."

(It's a good thing they don't remember you killing them, isn't it?)

(...)

"Monsters are weird. Even though they barely know you... it feels like they all really love you. Haha."

(Bunch of idiots.)

"Frisk... I understand if you can't forgive me. I understand if you hate me. I acted so strange and horrible. I hurt you. I hurt so many people. Friends, family, bystanders... there's no excuse for what I've done."

(You don't NEED an excuse! You've got everything you need! WHY ARE YOU GIVING UP AFTER YOU'VE WON?!)

"Asriel... I forgive you."

(Forgiveness from a murderer to a murderer. How nice.)

(...)

"...Frisk, come on. You're... You're gonna make me cry again. Besides, even if you do forgive me... I can't keep these souls inside of me. The least I can do is return them. But first... There's something I have to do. With everyone's power... With everyone's determination... It's time for monsters to finally go free."

(At least THIS should be interesting to watch. But giving up all that power? Asriel, you are still a complete idiot.)

x*****x

Barrier broken, Asriel turned to Frisk again.

"Frisk... I have to go now. Without the power of everyone's souls, I can't keep maintaining this form. In a little while, I'll turn back into a flower. I'll stop being "myself". I'll stop being able to feel love again."

(Then why give the souls up in the first place, if you care about that so much?)

"So... Frisk. It's best if you just forget about me, OK? Just go be with the people who love you."

Frisk hugged Asriel... and he was filled with determination.

(Wait, what? Where's that coming from? What's going-)

(It's almost done. The very end comes soon. The final explanation.)

(...)

"Ha... ha... I don't want to let go. Frisk... you're... you're going to do a great job, OK? No matter what you do. Everyone will be there for you, okay?"

(...Except for you.)

(Wait, is that what this is about?)

"Well... My time's running out. Goodbye."

(You did all this to bring back my brother who killed us both?)

"By the way, Frisk. Take care of Mom and Dad for me, OK?"

(Why would you think I'd help you do that?)

(... It ends at the Ruins.)

(That's it?)

(Yes. That's the last thing I have to show you.)

(Can't wait.)

x******x

Frisk had woken up, surrounded by friends, again.

He had left to see everyone before going to the surface, again.

And now he was nearly to the Ruins, and Asriel. Again.

But this time, he had Chara.

x******x  
Asriel was where Frisk had always found him, looking at the patch of yellow flowers where Frisk had first fallen. He turned as Frisk came up to him.

"Don't worry about me. Someone has to take care of these flowers."

"Asriel..."

"Frisk, please leave me alone. I can't come back. I just can't, OK? I don't want to break their hearts all over again. It's better if they never see me."

Frisk didn't move.

(Why are we here?)

"...why are you still here?"

(See?)

"Are you trying to keep me company? Frisk..."

The two children stood together in silence.

"Hey. Let me ask you a question. Frisk... Why did you come here? Everyone knows the legend, right...? "Travelers who climb Mt. Ebott are said to disappear.""

(Hey, he's finally saying something interesting! Why DID you climb the mountain?)

(...)

"Frisk. Why would you ever climb a mountain like that? Was it foolishness? Was it fate? Or was it... Because you...?"

(Not going to say, then? Fine, whatever.)

"Well. Only you know the answer, don't you...? I know why Chara climbed the mountain. It wasn't for a very happy reason. Frisk. I'll be honest with you. Chara hated humanity."

(And still do.)

"Why they did, they never talked about it. But they felt very strongly about that. Frisk... You really ARE different from Chara."

(No kidding.)

"In fact, though you have similar, uh, fashion choices... I don't know why I ever acted like you were the same person."

(Hah.)

"Maybe... The truth is... Chara wasn't really the greatest person."

(Hey, YOU'RE the one who got us killed.)

"While, Frisk... You're the type of friend I wish I always had."

(Oh, Asriel, if you only knew what Frisk's been up to!)

(...)

"So maybe I was kind of projecting a little bit. Let's be honest. I did some weird stuff as a flower.'

(You only got weirder when you turned back. You had all the power in the world, and then just gave up!)

"There's one last thing I feel like I should tell you. Frisk, when Chara and I combined our souls together... the control over our body was actually split between us. They were the one that picked up their own empty body. And then, when we got to the village... They were the one that wanted to.. to use our full power. I was the one that resisted."

(You were the one who killed us both. You wouldn't fight back, even when they were killing us! Why were you such an IDIOT?)

"And then, because of me, we... Well, that's why I ended up a flower."

(At least you admit it.)

"Frisk... This whole time, I've blamed myself for that decision. That's why I adopted that horrible view of the world. "Kill or be killed." But now... After meeting you... Frisk, I don't regret that decision anymore. I did the right thing."

(Oh, really?)

"If I killed those humans... We would have had to wage war against all of humanity."

(That was the POINT!)

"And in the end, everyone went free, right? I still feel kind of sad knowing how long it took... so maybe it wasn't a perfect decision."

(NO KIDDING.)

"But you can't regret hard choices your whole life, right? Well, not that I have much of a life left. But that's beside the point."

They stood for a moment in silence.

"Frisk, thank you for listening to me. You should really go be with your friends now, OK? Oh, and please... In the future, if you, uh, see me... Don't think of it as me, OK? I just want you to remember me like this. Someone that was your friend for a little while. Oh, and Frisk... Be careful in the outside world, OK? Despite what everyone thinks, it's not as nice as it is here. There are a lot of Floweys out there. And not everything can be resolved by just being nice."

(How many times did I tell you that? And you only realize it NOW?)

"Frisk... Don't kill, and don't be killed, alright? That's the best you can strive for."

(Too late for THAT, don't you think?)

(...)

"Well, see you."

Asriel turned away. Frisk hesitated.

(Chara?)

(What?)

(...Never mind.)

Frisk turned back towards the Ruins.

x******x  
(So, you never did explain what makes you so determined.)

(...Yes?)

(Why not just give me your soul so I can see it?)

Frisk was tired. He had freed everyone, and reset them back into the darkness, more times than he could remember. He had killed them, and reset them back to life, and killed them again. He could feel the guilt and the pain of their deaths weighing on his soul. His determination to save Asriel had kept him going, but to save Asriel he would need a soul, and Asriel had refused Frisk's. He needed Chara. But now, knowing what Chara was like... He couldn't do that to Asriel.

And that meant Asriel was doomed. He would never see the outside world again. He would live and die as a soulless plant, without emotion, and with memories that brought only pain, until he could no longer feel anything at all. Until nothing of Asriel was left but Flowey.

All of those resets. All of the pain and the death... for nothing. He just wanted the pain to stop. Frisk stopped caring... and let go.

(Fine.)


	4. Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

(Fine.)

Chara was pleased. Finally, after all of his waiting, after enduring this fool's refusal to admit how the world really worked and the ramblings of all of these idiots, he was getting a body again! The soul would be nice too, especially if he could figure out how Frisk's relentless determination actually worked, but with the body he could at last get things done. At least with everyone Frisk's "friend" he'd have an easy time getting at them, so this trip hadn't been completely pointless. Still, it was past time to move on. Now to see what Frisk's soul was like-

(AAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHH)

PAIN. Not in Frisk's body, but in his soul, now joined to what remained of Chara's. He had never experienced anything like it, had never thought anything like it could EXIST. When Frisk had said he'd felt every death he'd caused as though he had died himself, Chara hadn't believed him. But it was true, and now HE was feeling it. Was this Frisk's plan? To kill him with unendurable pain?

(TAKE IT BACK!)

x******x  
Frisk felt... numb. The pain of all the deaths he had caused, of all the happy endings he had reset, of all his failures to help Asriel, was gone. But the absence wasn't peace; there was just a hollowness, a void, where his feelings had been.

(AAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHH)

Chara was screaming. Why?

(Chara?) His inner voice would normally have been concerned, anxious, but with the numbness in him it was emotionless and flat. (What is it? Why are you screaming?)

(TAKE IT BACK!)

Frisk felt the void in him suddenly fill as his soul returned, and his feelings with it. The pain of remembered death, the guilt of resetting everyone from light into darkness, the despair of failing Asriel.

And the love he felt for them all that had caused his pain at hurting them, that the pain had drowned out.

Frisk's body doubled over, sobbing, as both souls bore their fresh pain.

(Thank you... Thank you...)

(You actually mean that. You're thanking me for giving you the pain back. What kind of freak are you? And why do I still hurt? What did you DO to me?!)

(Not for giving me the pain back. For giving back my soul. That... emptiness ... when I didn't have my soul... it was worse than the pain. Losing my love for everyone-) Frisk contorted again with sobbing.

(And now I still hurt! What did you DO?)

(I don't know. What does it feel like?)

(Pain. How should I know? I've never felt like this before! I want it to stop!)

(Is there anything besides pain?)

(Why do you care?)

(Because I want to help you.)

Silence.

(Chara?)

(I was wrong. I have felt something like this before.)

(When?)

(...When I climbed the mountain.)

(… Do you want to talk about it?)

(... There was an orphanage in the village where I grew up. I lived there. I don't remember ever being anywhere else. No one ever told me how I got there, or why I didn't have any family.)

Chara stopped. Frisk's left hand rose, and grasped his right shoulder gently. His body shivered.

(I can't remember much about the adults who ran the orphanage. They weren't around often, just often enough to make sure that we followed their rules and looked "presentable" when other adults came. I can't remember the other kids very well either – I never cared about them. I just tried to stay out of their way. There was only one thing I did care about.)

Frisk's body breathed raggedly. His left hand squeezed his right shoulder.

(I... I had a kitten. I called her Sasha. She was tiny, but purred like she was ten times larger. She was always happy to see people, but slept with me every night.) Another pause. (I loved her. And then...)

Frisk's body began to cry, as his right arm hugged his chest, and his left hand rubbed his right arm.

(We weren't allowed to have pets, s-so I had to make sure the adults wouldn't find out. Most of the other kids knew about Sasha and liked her, bu-but then a group of the older boys found out about her, and-)

Frisk's body choked, sobbing. In the darkness, his left arm cradled his right. Inside, one soul drew a fragment of another to itself, trying to comfort it.

(Frisk... they... pulled her... apart. They were in the center of a ring of other kids, and I heard the screaming, and I ran to see what it was, and I saw what they were doing, and I tried to stop them but there were five of them and they were bigger and they knocked me down and made me watch them-)

Chara's inner voice rose. (And Sasha never even tried to bite or scratch them! She never hurt anyone, even then! Even when they pulled her legs off, and she was screaming, and they were laughing about it and holding me down and everyone just watched, no one DID anything!)

Sobbing breaths. One arm hugging another.

(And then the adults came.) Chara's voice was cold and bitter. (They saw what had happened, and asked whose cat it was. I told them she was mine. They took the older boys away, and took me away and beat me. They said that I had broken the rules. That it was my fault. … I ran away that night. I hated the boys who had killed my kitten. The other kids for watching and doing nothing. The adults for doing nothing, then blaming me and Sasha for what had happened to her. And I hated myself for being too weak to stop them. For being too weak to protect my friend.)

Frisk waited for a moment. (So you climbed the mountain?)

(Yes. I'd heard that no one who climbed Mount Ebott came back. I climbed the mountain, found the cave, and stumbled into the hole without even realizing it was there. If I had seen it, I would have jumped in anyway. Then... Asriel found me. Frisk... when I saw him... He looked at me the same way Sasha had.)

(He loved you.)

(He did. And I loved him.) Chara sighed. (I never felt the same about anyone else. They all acted nice, but... I just didn't feel anything. I wasn't interested in them. And I would hear them whisper, see them glance at me when they thought I wouldn't see. Like the other kids at the orphanage, trying to figure out what was wrong with me. Toriel and Asgore didn't. I heard them whispering a few times, but they never had that look like something was wrong with me. But Asriel always looked at me like Sasha had. He accepted me.) A pause. (And then I learned why the monsters were down here. How the humans had sealed them away. Humans like the people who killed Sasha. How it would take seven human souls to break the barrier.) A deep breath. (And then I learned that a monster who took a human soul could cross the barrier.) Frisk's body shook. (And then...)

(I saw the tapes Asriel made in the lab, Chara. I know what happened.)

(...That's right. Asriel was playing with that video camera.)

(You killed yourself with the flowers, and had Asriel take your soul.)

(Right. I didn't know I'd still be there, still... alive... after Asriel took my soul. I remember looking around in Asriel's body, and how strange it felt to have fur. Then... I took my old body and went to the village. I remember Asriel seeing and feeling the sun for the first time. He couldn't believe it was so warm and bright.) Frisk's body sighed. (I was too impatient to wait. It... didn't take us long to reach the village. There was a flowerbed where Sasha had liked to play. That's where I put my body. That's where people saw us, and started shouting and throwing rocks. … I'd told Asriel that we would get more souls and break the barrier, but he didn't really understand what that would mean. And then, when I tried to use our power to kill them... he understood. And he refused.)

Frisk's body choked. (They hit us with stones, and with their fists, and kicked us, AND HE WOULDN'T LET ME FIGHT BACK! It was like watching Sasha being killed all over again, except this time it was both of us, and we could fight back, we could stop them, and he wouldn't! They had shut him and all of the other monsters underground, they were killing him, he could have taken their souls, they DESERVED to have their souls taken, and he still wouldn't do it!)

(He didn't want to hurt anyone. He still doesn't. It's why he keeps giving everyone's souls back.)

(And then... He picked my body up, and walked back up the mountain. I could feel him dying. And I started to hate Asriel.) Frisk's arms clutched each other as the tears flowed. (I was too angry to talk to him any more, but I kept thinking that we could have done it if he hadn't been so weak, if he hadn't been an idiot, that it was his fault for not fighting back. The last thing I remember... is hating everything. Wishing I could just destroy everything and everyone. Humans and monsters.) Another pause. (And then... you came. It was all blurry at first, like a dream. I think I remember seeing the same things over and over again when you were resetting... I don't know how many times it was. It seemed like dozens.) A silence. (And then you called me. Why did you do that? Why did you even think I was there?)

(I... just had a feeling, at first. I had memories that weren't mine; I started feeling like there was someone watching me when I Saved, someone whispering when I was fighting Asriel.)

(Yes, I do remember that. I kept remembering him not fighting back when he started losing his determination fighting you, and I would start yelling at him. I thought it was just another dream.)

(I thought I heard something, but I was never sure. And then... I was frustrated. I tried making Asriel take my soul, and he-he backed away like he was terrified of me. He said he'd kill himself first, and I heard you say-)

(Again.) Frisk's head bobbed. (I remember that, too.)

(And then I thought about those tapes again. I didn't know where you were, but I knew that I must have been hearing you. And so I reset one more time... and called your name.)

(And I... I woke up, then. I still wanted to destroy everything, and I thought that I could use you for that. But... why did you do it?)

(Because I don't want to leave Asriel. I've tried going back and resetting over and over, looking for some way to convince him to leave, some way to help him, some way to not leave him in the dark with no hope, with no soul. He refused to take my soul, and then when I heard you... I thought if I could bring you back, if you saw him, it might convince you to offer him your soul again.)

(And so you did what I asked. You started killing everyone. Frisk... I'm sorry.)

(It was my choice. I agreed to do it.)

(But I asked you to.)

(And I did it. I was the one hurting them, I was the one choosing to kill them. Even when you tried to do it for me, I refused. It was always my choice.)

(For Asriel.)

(Yes. For Asriel.)

(I... didn't understand why you got hurt when they hadn't hit you, why you had to go back to a Save after some of your fights when they hadn't even touched you. But when you said you felt it each time you hit someone...)

(...At first, every time I killed someone I would die, and have to do it again. I finally started getting used to the pain, and then... I just quit dying. It still hurt; that never went away. But after a while, I only really noticed it when I killed the people I cared for most. Toriel... Papyrus... Undyne... Sans... Asgore.) Frisk's body took a shuddering breath. (Asriel.)

(And when you didn't kill him the first time... Frisk, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!) Now Frisk's arms wrapped around each other, cradling one other.

(I... I almost gave up then. But I'd done it once already. And when I thought of Asriel looking back at me when I left, trying to smile, waiting to turn back into a flower... I couldn't leave him, Chara, I CAN'T leave him!)

(...Neither can I.)

(Chara?)

(Frisk... I've never cared about people, except for Sasha and Asriel. And after Asriel... came home... I think it hurt too much to care at all. I just-quit feeling everything. No pain, no love. But you... never quit feeling. Even when it was killing you. Frisk... the way I feel about Asriel... that's how you feel about everyone, isn't it? You care about them all, you want them all to be happy.)

(Yes.)

(Frisk... I can't leave Asriel. But I can't give him my soul.)

(Chara-)

(I want to help him, Frisk, but I've done so much to him already – I can't do that again. If there's any way I can be sure I won't hurt him again, I'll do it. But having my soul now... He'd always be afraid. Afraid that I'd try to hurt someone again using his body, that he'd have to let me be hurt again to stop me. And I don't feel the way you do, Frisk. I love Asriel. I... I care about you, now, too. But for everyone else... I still don't feel anything. I'm still the way I was before.)

(Chara... would you be willing to go through another reset?)

(Why?)

(To try to learn to care about people. You try doing everything, meeting everyone, and maybe your emotions, your soul, will wake up more. I'll be there with you, and I'll make sure you don't hurt anyone.)

(Frisk... do you really think that can work?)

(If it doesn't, then we can try again or think of something else. We keep trying until Asriel's out.)

(...Okay. For Asriel.)

(For Asriel.)

Frisk's body stood. Time shifted again, and Chara woke up in the Ruins, again.

But this time he had Frisk.


	5. Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR

(Chara?)

(I'm fine. I'd just hoped to feel something after going to our old house, and seeing Mom again, but... I didn't. Not even when she hugged us when we left. I wanted to, for a second I thought I did, but that was just wishing. I could feel how much you love her, though.)

(This is just the start; there's still time.)

(I know. Frisk... I want this to work. But if it doesn't-)

(As long as you're willing to keep trying, I'll help you, Chara.)

(Thanks, Frisk. And you're still feeling better?)

(Yeah. Seeing Toriel again helped. So did the pie. And having you with me, having a way to help Asriel... that helps, too.)

(Good. At least I'm not hurting you any longer.)

(...)

x******x  
Sans quickened his pace as the human child approached the plank bridge. He'd been headed to the door in the Ruins to exchange some more jokes, but had stepped into the trees when he saw the boy coming. He slipped his hand into his pocket as he caught up.

"Human. Don't you know how to greet a new pal? Turn around and shake my hand."

The boy turned, and extended his hand-

PHPHBBRRRRTTTTTT

"heheh... the old whoopee cushion in the hand trick. It's ALWAYS funny."

The boy looked uncertain for a moment, then smiled. Not unexpected for a nervous kid, but... the smile didn't look natural. Like he was remembering how he was supposed to act, and doing his best to imitate it.

"anyways, you're a human, right? that's hilarious. i'm sans. sans the skeleton."

x******x

Frisk listened as the conversation continued as usual. Chara had caught on to the joke pretty quickly, but Sans had looked more intent than Frisk remembered. Maybe. It could be hard to read Sans. Well, if things went really badly they could reset. So far so good, though.

x******x

The conveniently-shaped lamp had worked as conveniently as always, and Papyrus had gone.

"actually, hey... hate to bother ya, but can you do me a favor?" Sans' left eyesocket glowed blue, then faded as he watched the human turn around. "i was thinking... my brother's been kind of down lately... he's never seen a human before. and seeing you might just make his day." No dust, no EXP. The human hadn't killed anyone in the Ruins. "don't worry, he's not dangerous. even if he tries to be."

"Sure!"

But his actions were still off, unnatural, like he was acting out everything. "thanks a million. i'll be up ahead." (and i'll be keeping an eye on you,) Sans thought as he walked away. (after all, i promised. i just hope it's a promise i can keep...)

x******x  
They continued through the snow. They encountered and solved Papyrus' puzzles. They met the dogs. They petted the dogs.

(Those dogs sure like getting petted. How did that one's neck DO that?)

(That's one thing I still don't know.)

(And is the skeleton with the scarf always that weird?)

(Papyrus? Yeah, that's just how he is.)

(Uh huh...)

(Are you all right, Chara?)

(I'm okay. I just... remember what happened when we came through before.)

(...)

(...This way is better. It's more interesting solving the puzzles.)

(Yeah...)

******  
They made their way through Papyrus' tile maze trap, and stopped to talk to Sans.

"actually, that spaghetti from earlier... it wasn't too bad for my brother. since he started cooking lessons, he's been improving a lot. i bet if he keeps it up, next year he'll even make something edible."

The human smiled, but with the same delayed reaction he'd seen before. Definitely putting on a show. He really hoped he was wrong about what that meant.

x******x  
They encountered and befriended more monsters. They passed Papyrus' Gauntlet of Deadly Terror, and reached the town.

(Well, here's Snowdin.)

(Do we have enough gold for some food?)

(Looks like plenty to me. The shop's over there; you pick. I'd say we could get a Bisicle for us to split, but that wouldn't work too well.)

(Heh.)

(Hey, was that a laugh?)

(Yes, I felt something there. I still feel it more from you when you like a joke than when I do, though.)

(Sorry.)

(It's okay. At least it's something.)

(Yeah.)

x******x  
They fought and were spared by Papyrus, and became Papyrus' friend.

(Phew. That was harder than I expected. Thanks for talking me through it.)

(You'd have been okay; Papyrus never really hurts me, just knocks me down and captures me if I lose. You did pretty well for your first time.)

(I should with you coaching me, you've done this... how many times now?)

(Let's just call it a lot.)

(Haha, okay… It's odd. I remember some of the kids from the orphanage who acted kind of like Papyrus, as if they were better than everyone else. Most of the other kids avoided them. But Papyrus is different.)

(I've seen kids like that, too. I think most of them want people to believe they're cooler than everyone else, and they try to make other people look worse so they'll look better. Papyrus just... doesn't do that. He likes himself, but he likes everyone else too.)

(So he thinks he's great and wants everyone else to be great like him?)

(Something like that.)

(...I think I agree with Sans. Papyrus is kind of cool.)

(More feelings?)

(Some. But they're still pretty weak compared to yours.)

(Well, we've still got a lot of people to meet.)

(I'm looking forward to it.)

(And we need to go hang out with Papyrus.)

(Oh, right. That's going to be weird, isn't it?)

(You don't remember?)

(Not really; that was one of the more dreamlike parts, and I... didn't pay attention the last time you did this. I think there was something about spaghetti?)

(Haha. This is going to be fun.)

(For you?)

(For both of us.)

x******x  
They hung out with Papyrus.

(Frisk... what just happened?)

(Papyrus happened. I've gotten used to him, but it's always good to meet him again.)

(He's just so... single-minded. I wondered why you weren't telling me what to say, but it didn't really seem to matter. He just reacted to everything I did as though I were... nice.)

(That's my favorite thing about Papyrus. He believes that everyone is or can be a good person, and nothing can ever make him believe anything else.)

(...I like him. It's little, but... I really do like him.)

(I hoped you would.) Frisk laughed.

(Frisk?)

(Now I'm wondering what you'll think of Undyne.)

(She's... the fish knight?)

(Uh huh. And she is ALL about intense feelings.)

(Sounds like someone I should meet.)

x******x  
They found Sans at his guardpost in Waterfall.

"i'm going to grillby's. wanna come?"

"Sure!"

x******x  
Sans considered the boy as he walked out of Grillby's. His expression had changed when he'd heard about the flower, so he knew something about that. His reactions had seemed more natural; he'd grinned at the whoopee cushion right off, and looked like he meant it when he said Papyrus was cool. The kid seemed to either be feeling more... or to be getting better at faking it.

(maybe he isn't the nightmare. maybe he won't start things over again and this will be the last time. sure hope so.)

x******x  
They watched Papyrus report to Undyne. They saw Undyne look towards their hiding place in the tall grass, and lower her spear again as the Monster Kid looked back at her.

(I'm disappointed in Papyrus. Why didn't he stand up to Undyne?)

(He's... not sure what he should do. Most of the monsters are the same way. They want to break the barrier and get out, and they need one more human soul to do it, but a lot of them of them don't realize what that really means. When they do, they don't actually want to kill me-us. I don't think most monsters are even trying to hurt us, they just don't understand how their magic affects us.)

(And Papyrus?)

(He wants to be a Royal Guard, and part of their job is catching humans. But now he's our friend, and he doesn't want to hurt us. Undyne's training him, and he admires her, and he doesn't want to let her down either. Plus he has Asriel talking to him, and that can't be helping.)

(Uh huh.) Chara sounded skeptical.

(Besides, Undyne's... pretty dominating. You'll see when we meet her.)

(Okay.)

x******x  
They came to the ancient tablets and read about the history of monsters and humans, and of the monsters' ability to take human souls.

(...I remember when Asriel showed me these.)

(Are you all right?)

(Yes. It's just... I remember Asriel. How sad he looked. That's when... I started thinking about how to get out.)

(...)

(...)

(...You should get ready to run here. Undyne is gonna start chucking spears at us on the other side of this gap.)

(Okay. I'll be ready.)

Undyne chased them. They ran.

x******x  
Undyne strode into the tall grass behind them, reached down towards them, then lowered the Monster Kid to the ground and walked away. The Monster Kid consoled them over not being grabbed by Undyne.

(He really doesn't get it, does he?)

(It's like I said. Maybe it's just been that long since someone fell down here, but lots of monsters don't even recognize us as a human.)

(Maybe we don't look scary enough? To these guys, humans seem to be something to be afraid of, and we're not, really. At least... not this time...)

(Right. You're not doing that this time. And you aren't going to, right?)

(No! I don't want to do that. It's just... remembering how I made you...)

(I chose to do it.)

(But I'm the one who made you choose.)

(...Let's keep going.)

(...Okay.)

They walked in silence, listening to the echo flowers.

x******x  
They came to the dripping cavern, gave the statue an umbrella, and listened to its song. They played the piano, and were mystified by the annoying dog. They shared their umbrella with the Monster Kid, stopping to look across the cavern at the castle. The Monster Kid helped them onto a ledge, and they read the tablets recording the history of the war between humans and monsters.

(Asriel brought me here once to show me the view of the castle across the cavern.)

(It's pretty cool.)

(It is. And then he showed me the tablets.)

(...)

(Sorry to keep bringing that up.)

(It's all right.)

(I just wish... that I'd done things differently.)

(...Undyne finds us again not far past here. She'll be stabbing through the bridge planks with her spears. It gets kind of maze-like.)

(Just let me know which way to go.)

(I will. It stops at a dead end and we fall, but it'll be okay.)

(You sound pretty calm about it.)

(Because I know it's coming, and that we'll be okay. The first time... I'm just lucky I didn't have to hunt through the dump for some new underwear.)

(Haha. Well, here goes...)

They ran again. They fell again.

x******x  
They opened Frisk's eyes and groaned.

(Oof. I'm glad you told me we would be okay, I would have been terrified otherwise!)

(...)

(Frisk?)

(Chara... Did you hear that voice when we were waking up?)

(I was remembering when Asriel found me, after I'd fallen down the hole in the Ruins. You heard that memory too?)

(I've heard it each time I fell down here. It's another of the things that helped me figure out you were still around.)

They stood up, water sloshing around their thighs. (So we're in the garbage dump?)

(Uh huh. I guess it's kind of lucky for the monsters that humans throw away so much stuff.)

(I suppose it is. It looks pretty big. Where next?)

(We just follow the stream for a while. Then we fight with a ghost in a training dummy.)

(Okay. There certainly are some odd monsters down here, aren't there?)

(Yeah. Most of them are nice once you get to know them. Though... this one might be an exception.)

(Wait, Mr. Loves Everyone is making an exception for this guy? What's he do?)

(Um... It's probably better to just let you see for yourself.)

(Well, let's go meet him then.)

x******x  
They fought the mad dummy. Napstablook apologized for rescuing Chara, then floated away down the stream.

(Frisk, do I have to like the dummy ghost? Because he seemed like a jerk.)

(Yeah, he was. I still feel sorry for him though. He must be lonely; he said he doesn't need friends, and he can't even remember his brother's name.)

(I wish that crying ghost would quit apologizing. He just saved us, so why's he embarrassed about it?)

(The ghosts play tag by shooting magic at each other sometimes. Napstablook thinks that's what we were doing. They just aren't used to humans.)

(I suppose...)

(Chara?)

(Just... wondering how long it's been. A really long time, I guess. I thought the monsters still knew how humans worked when I was at the Castle.)

(Do you remember anyone from... before?)

(The only monster I've recognized is Mom – I mean, Toriel. I didn't go out much, and I... I just didn't care about anyone else enough to pay attention, besides Asriel.)

(Um... Do you remember any of the other humans who fell down?)

(I... don't think so. I know I remember seeing things you did after you fell, but... it was like a dream. It didn't seem real. I could have seen what the others did and thought it was a dream, but... I don't think I remember anyone else.)

(Okay. Chara... if I ask something that hurts too much, just tell me, okay?)

(Don't worry, Frisk. I'll be fine. I still haven't felt anything near as bad as you have.)

(... We're almost to Napstablook's house.)

(What's he like?)

(Lonely. He really likes music... it's not my kind of thing, but he cares about it a lot. He's interesting to spend time with, though.)

(Well, looks like I get to meet him now.)

x*****x  
They met with Napstablook. They listened to his music, failed to eat a ghost sandwich, and lay down with him to feel the world spin.

(That felt... weird. But good. Thanks, Frisk.)

(Uh huh. I always feel calmer after lying around with Napstablook for a bit.)

(I do too. It feels like... being a part of something larger. I can't really describe it, though.)

(I can't either. It's like seeing things differently for a while, then you get up and everything is back to how it was before.)

(I'm glad we met him.)

(Yeah.)

(Anyone else to meet here?)

(There's a snail farm that way, and a snail race, but not much to do there. Undyne's house is the other way, but she isn't home now.)

(Still looking for us, huh? Frisk, does it ever feel weird knowing the future?)

(The first time I reset it felt really spooky, especially since I wasn't certain everything would be the same. Then it seemed really cool. After a while, I kind of quit noticing. I was too busy trying to find a way to help Asriel.)

(Does everything really stay the same?)

(Almost everything. Small stuff changes, but most things only change when I do something different. I've tried changing large stuff, but that usually made me reset.)

(What kind of stuff?)

(Telling people what was going on, usually. Most of them didn't understand, and the ones who did couldn't help. Then Asriel would overhear and change his plans, and I'd have to reset completely to wipe his memories and try again. It never worked out, and I quit trying to tell people about things after what happened when I talked to Alphys.)

(Alphys?)

(She's a dinosaur scientist. We'll meet her after Undyne.)

(All right. Let's go meet Undyne, then.)

x*****x  
They met and talked to Gerson, the shopkeeping turtle, and bought some Sea Tea. Frisk could feel Chara's excitement, but waited until they had left and were alone in the tunnel beyond before asking.

(Chara? What was it?)

(Frisk, I remember him! I didn't know him, but I did see him around our old house and the castle.)

(Do you remember anything else?)

(Yes, he...)

(Chara?)

(He and Dad-Asgore-talked about the prophecy of the Delta Rune a lot. I remember he met with Dad and Mom to talk things over before everyone moved to New Home.)

(Are you okay?)

(...I was supposed to be the angel who would help them get out. The one to fulfill the prophecy. I never paid much attention to that; I didn't care. But Asriel did. I remember how he looked when he talked about it, he... he looked so hopeful for everyone. He cared about getting out, and I cared about him, so I wanted to help him. And then... some angel I turned out to be.)

(Chara-)

(I killed myself, and then I got Asriel killed, and then Asgore and the monsters started killing the other humans who fell. Then I tried to get you to kill everyone-I guess that would have fulfilled the prophecy too, wouldn't it? An angel of death. Hahaha-)

(CHARA!)

(I hurt so many people, Frisk - Asriel, you, Mom, Dad, the other monsters, everyone who's ever cared about me, I've hurt! I just wish I could go back and stop it all from happening!)

(...Do you want to try?)

(What do you mean?)

(Do you want to try going back to before you... you killed yourself?)

(...I can't reset like you can, Frisk. How can I go back?)

(Chara, I'm going to reach back as though I were resetting, back to when I first woke up underground. Try to remember something before you died, something you remember really well, and I'll try to reach back to it.)

(...All right. I know what memory to use.)

(Okay. I'm going to start now.)

They sat down, back against the tunnel wall, and Frisk concentrated. He focused his memory on the moment he had first woken up at the bottom of the hole. It came easily to mind, as it had so many times before.

Chara concentrated, remembering the moment that he had decided to break the barrier. He remembered the tablet. The hope in Asriel's eyes. His determination to let Asriel out so he could see the sun.

(I'm ready, Frisk.)

(Okay. Here goes.)

Frisk *reached out* and *touched* Chara's memory. He *felt* the point in time, and Chara's connection to it. He *reached* for it... and *PUSHED*.

Time... *bent*.


	6. Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE

Light flared in Sans' eyesockets as he sat up in bed, staring as the vortex of junk in the corner began to twist and moan. He could *feel* time bending on itself. "Oh no. No no no no no." He had to get to the kid, had to stop him before-

Time *unbent*, and *rippled*, and Sans' eyesockets flared with light as he sat up in bed. The vortex was spinning as it always did, carrying its regular rotation of junk and dirty laundry. But his impression of deja vu made him sure that that hadn't been a dream. That had been time itself *flexing* under the weight of an impending paradox.

Sans got out of bed and walked towards the door. He had a promise to keep, and that meant keeping an eye on the kid and making sure he didn't try... whatever it was that he might have just done... again.

(kid... who-what-are you, really? and what did you just do?)

At least he knew the place to go to keep an eye on the boy. It would be a bit awkward, but she'd understand. There was no way she could have missed that time distortion.

x*****x  
(I'm sorry, Chara. I just couldn't reach it.)

Frisk's body lay on its side against the tunnel wall, shaking, as the two souls sharing it gathered themselves.

(It's okay, Frisk. I could feel you give it all you had. And considering what happened... maybe we're lucky it didn't work.)

(Yeah. I still don't know what that was. It was like I was pushing against something, and then it... snapped back.)

(Are you okay? It felt like something hit you, and things went... weird.)

(I'm fine. Shaken up-all of my memories got scrambled for a minute, everything running together, but that only lasted a little while. As far as I can tell, I'm all right.)

(Good. I don't want to lose you, Frisk. And Frisk... thanks for trying.)

(No problem. I guess determination can't solve everything.)

(You sure seem determined to prove that wrong!)

(...Did you do that on purpose?)

(Haha. Do you feel better now?)

(I think so. I'm ready to keep going.)

(All right.) They stood up, steadying Frisk's body against the tunnel wall. (Frisk?)

(Yes, Chara?)

(Thank you... for being my friend.)

(I just wish I'd figured out you were there sooner.)

(...You really mean that.)

(Yes, why?)

(After everything I've done to you? You might have been happier if you never knew I existed.)

(But then you'd still be alone and hating everything.)

(Frisk... is there anyone you don't love?)

(Um... I don't think so. I've always liked helping people; it makes me happy when they're happy, and so I try to help everyone who isn't happy. Why?)

(...You are an idiot, Frisk. The best kind of idiot. Thank you for being you.)

(Haha. You're welcome.)

They walked on into the darkness.

x*****x  
Sans found her in front of the surveillance screen, as he'd expected. "hey, alphys."

"O-oh, Sans. I thought you m-might be coming by, a-after th-th-that... disturbance."

"yeah, i thought you'd notice that. see the kid doing anything odd when it happened?"

"U-um... he was sitting against the side of a tunnel in Waterfall just past Gerson's shop, and afterwards he was lying on his side, t-twitching. He got up again, I-I th-think he's all right-"

"so he caught some backlash. hope it warns him off trying something like that again. alphys, i think i should start keeping a closer eyesocket on him myself. mind if i hang around here for a while?"

"N-not at all! I can, um, get a b-bed out of-"

"nah. i'll just watch the screen with you for a while. thanks."

x*****x  
Frisk and Chara walked through the darkness, guided by the lights of mushrooms, lanterns and crystals, until they came to an echo flower that told them to turn around. Undyne spoke of the monsters' need for one more soul to break the barrier to the underground and take vengeance on humans. She prepared to kill them but was interrupted by the Monster Kid, who she dragged away.

(Does he always show up like that?)

(Every time. I think he's Undyne's third-biggest fan.)

(Third?)

(Papyrus is second.)

(PAPYRUS is second? Who's that leave for first?)

(Alphys. She's different, though; fan's probably not the right word.)

(Um, okay?)

(You'll see.)

They walked up the corridor, past the whispering echo flowers, and came to the tablet telling of the prophecy. That the Angel, one who had seen the surface, would return, and the Underground would go empty.

(This... This is where-when-I was trying to go back to. When Asriel showed me this tablet. I could see how much he wanted all of the monsters to be free, and I wanted to give that to him. Not for them, but so that he would be happy.)

(He does do it in the end.)

(Yes... for everyone but himself.)

(But we're going to fix that.)

(If we can fix me, at least.)

(We will.)

(...Thanks, Frisk.)

(Anytime.)

x*****x  
They walked down the tunnel, and across the bridge. The Monster Kid found them again, and asked them to insult him so that he could hate them. He ran away from them, slipped on the bridge, and clung to a rocky pillar between them and Undyne. Chara ran forward and pulled the Monster Kid back onto the bridge; the Monster Kid placed himself between them and Undyne, protecting them. Undyne withdrew, and the Monster Kid left after saying that since being enemies hadn't worked, they would have to be friends.

(Thanks for grabbing him, Chara.)

(What else was I going to do, let him fall?)

x******x  
They came to Undyne, who declared that she would kill them and take their soul for the sake of all monsters. She accused them of hiding behind the Monster Kid like a coward and of playing at being good.

(Frisk...)

(She's wrong, Chara. She doesn't know you.)

(But what if she's right?)

(Chara, do you remember the last time we saw the Monster Kid?)

(...When Undyne saved him, you mean?)

(I remember how you felt. You would have killed him without hesitating.)

(Frisk, I-)

(And this time you ran and pulled him back onto the bridge without hesitating, with Undyne there ready to attack you. You did that, not me. I just watched. You have changed, Chara.)

(Frisk... thanks.)

(You're the one who decided to change. ...We'd better get ready for Undyne.)

(Right. So what's the plan?)

x*****x  
They fought Undyne, ran from Undyne, and revived Undyne with a cup of water. She left without another word.

(Now I understand what you meant about Undyne. She's really, REALLY intense.)

(Yeah. I think she's the most naturally determined monster down here.)

(Naturally?)

(...I can't really count what happened to Asriel as natural.)

(No... Do we go to the lab next?)

(Actually, we go back next. We need to meet Undyne.)

(Oh boy...)

x******x  
The faintest of gleams showed in Sans' eyesockets as he "slept," watching as the human gave Undyne a cup of water. (kid's still acting like an angel. i just hope there isn't a devil hiding in there. aaand here comes the boss. time to head back to the lab again.)

x******x  
They went back to Waterfall, and to Undyne's house. Papyrus' challenge to Undyne to become their friend worked, again. They drank tea at Undyne's broken table, and listened to her talk about Asgore.

(Are you all right, Chara?)

(...Yeah. Just... remembering Dad. And before.)

(Okay. Um, we'll need to move in a minute. Don't worry, I'll let you know when.)

(Thanks, Frisk.)

Undyne was reminded of Papyrus' cooking lesson, and used them as a substitute. The cooking lesson ended, as always, in fire. And fighting.

"NOW COME ON! HIT ME WITH ALL YOU'VE GOT! NGAHHH!"

(Frisk?)

(It'll be all right. Just swing.)

Chara swung. He hit Undyne.

And nothing happened.

Undyne accepted that Chara had no intent to hurt her, and they became friends. She also warned him about Asgore, and told him that if he hurt Asgore she would find him and beat the crap out of him. "That's what friends are for, right?" They left her flaming house, and Undyne departed for Snowdin.

******  
(Frisk? Why didn't I hurt Undyne?)

(Because you didn't want to. Monsters are made of magic, and their magic is tied to emotions. If you want to hurt a monster, that intent hurts them more than a weapon does. If you don't want to hurt them... well, they don't get hurt much, if at all.)

(I remember, Frisk. I lived with them long enough to know how monsters work. But... have I really changed that much?)

(Yes. You aren't the same person any more, Chara.)

(...I wish I could believe that.)

(Chara, do you really think the old you would act the way you are now?)

(Well... no. If that me were watching, I'd be calling myself an idiot and wonder why I was bothering with all of this.)

(Right. You've changed, Chara.)

(I just hope it lasts.)

(It will. ...We need to head to Hotland again; it's time to go back to the lab and meet Alphys.)

x******x  
In the back of the cave, in the shadows beyond the dancing glow of the fire, light gleamed from an eyesocket as the human walked away from the burning house. (that didn't look like a pulled punch. whatever else this kid is, he's pretty serious about making friends. no more time stunts either, seems like. ...looks like he's headed to hotland. time to sell some 'dogs.)

x******x  
They returned to Hotland, and entered the lab. They saw themselves being monitored on the screen. They met Alphys. They were ambushed by Mettaton and his quiz show. They confirmed that Alphys loved Undyne. They watched as Mettaton blasted off, and waited as Alphys took their cell phone to be upgraded.

(Frisk... Alphys said that Mettaton wasn't supposed to ask the last question. Does that mean what I think it means?)

(You caught that already? Yeah, it's an act. We'll have to go through a few more shows before we're done, too.)

(How long did it take you to catch on the first time?)

(...I didn't figure it out until Mettaton told me.)

(Wow, Frisk... you just can't mistrust people, can you?)

(If I called someone a liar and they were telling the truth, how much would that hurt them?)

Chara sighed. (You caught all of Asriel's "friendship pellets" the first time you fell down, didn't you?)

Frisk chuckled. (Oh, yeah.)

(You know that if Toriel hadn't come you'd have died then, right?)

(...I know.)

(Frisk... it's amazing how much you love everyone, but you have to take care of yourself, too.)

(I've learned that.)

(Sorry.)

(It's okay. If I hadn't had the power to Save, I know I would never have made it.)

(Just be careful when we get out of here and you don't get second chances, okay?)

(I will.)

Alphys returned with their phone, then rushed off to use the bathroom.

(Wait. Monster food doesn't work the same way human food does. Monsters don't need toilets.)

(Yeah. She's nervous, and she wanted an excuse to be alone. And she has other problems.)

(...The secret lab.)

(You remember?)

(I remember the videos. Should we check on her?)

(Not yet; she has the door locked. We'll have to come back later.)

(Okay. When you say she has the door locked, you know because you tried opening it before, right?)

(Right.)

(That is just so weird.)

(I guess I've gotten used to it, it just seems... normal. It's something I'm sure of about how things are right here and right now, because it's been that way so many times before. Actually, doing all of this with you is the most fun I've had in a long time.)

(Really?)

(So much is new for you. Seeing you meet everyone, feeling you react to everything, reminds me of the first time I did it all.)

(So I bring back memories?)

(Yeah. And seeing you make new ones is even better.)

(I guess it's time we go make some more, then.)

They set out into Hotland.

x******x  
They walked across stone platforms above the bubbling lava below. They crossed the conveyor belts. They rode the steam vents. They listened as Alphys told them how to avoid the lasers. They solved the puzzles blocking their path, and came to a polka-dotted blue floor.

(The floor looks different. Is it another TV stage?)

(Yeah. Want me to tell you what's coming?)

(Nah. You'd tell me if it were going to be a problem. This way you get to see me react to it.)

(Haha, thanks.)

(Hey, gotta keep the show interesting, right?)

They entered Mettaton's cooking show.

x******x  
They reached the human soul substitute, then floated gently to the ground with Alphy's jetpack.

(Frisk, why does Alphys think she needs to make things up when she can build so much neat stuff? She can use a cell phone to let us fly! That's pretty cool already.)

(She's told so many lies that she's afraid no one will like her if she admits the truth. She's trying to make us like her so much that her secrets won't matter any more.)

(...And it isn't working for her.)

(No. She doesn't feel better until she tells the truth and can stop feeling guilty about things.)

(The way you said that; she does tell her secrets in the end?)

(Yes.)

(...Does everyone forgive her?)

(Yeah, they do. It's not easy, but... they do.)

(...Want to look at the kitchen again?)

(Sure.)

As they walked back, they saw a flash of yellow disappearing into the floor.

(Was that-)

(Asriel. He can pop up almost anywhere as a flower.)

(So he's watching us?)

(Yep. He's too fast to catch, but I've spotted him a lot after turning around and going back the way I came from in other timelines.)

Chara shivered. (Creepy.)

(Yeah... I guess so. I've gotten used to it.)

(So nothing surprises you any more?)

(Not for a while now. Not as long as I do the same things I did the first few times. The last big change was...)

(Finding me.)

(...Yeah.)

(Frisk, I'm sorry.)

(I know; I can feel it. But I'm glad you're here. And now we just have to get Asriel out.)

(Right!)

They turned and continued through Hotland, towards the Core looming in the distance.

x*******x  
They found the first elevators. They met Sans and bought two hotdogs.

"thanks, kid. here's your 'dog."

(still looking normal. normal for a really determined human kid who wants to be friends with every monster he meets, anyway.) Sans thought as he watched the human walk away chewing on the water-sausage. (but if he might try messing with time again... i can't just sit back and watch forever.)

x******x  
They walked further through Hotland. They solved the switch puzzles with Alphys' help and interference. They crossed the steam vents. They fought a pair of Royal Guards, and left after convincing them to admit their feelings for each other. They walked into another dark room, and onto the set of Mettaton's news report. They discovered the news bombs. With Dr. Alphys' help, they defused the bombs and defeated Mettaton.

(It sounds like Mettaton's getting frustrated with Alphys.)

(Yeah. He always has to cover for her on the last lines.)

(Is she always that nervous?)

(Not all of the time, but pretty often. She thinks that people won't like her if they know who she actually is, so she's scared to admit what she really thinks and likes, and that makes her really anxious when she's talking to people. And she's trying to fool us into liking her right now so she's even more nervous.)

(Should we tell her that she doesn't have to pretend?)

(I've tried before. It works out better to just let things come out on their own.)

(Okay.)

x******x  
They took the elevator to the last floor, and passed through the spider bake sale. They jumped across more steam vents and solved the last puzzles. Then they reached the spider webs.

(Um, Frisk... this looks a bit creepy.)

(Do you still have that donut we got from the spiders at the ruins?)

(I do. Is this what you had me buy it for?)

(Uh huh. Just have it ready when we go in.)

They went in, showed Muffet that they supported spiders, and left the spiders' cave.

(How'd you figure out you could stop the fight like that?)

(I think it was my sixth reset? One of the early ones, anyway. I still had a spider donut from the Ruins, and I pulled it out when I needed to heal. I haven't had to fight her since.)

(Frisk, how do you remember all this stuff?)

(Practice. I spent a lot of time looking for different things to try.)

(So what's up next?)

(Opera.)

(Opera?)

(Opera. Starring Mettaton, of course.)

(Okay?...)

x******x  
They heard Mettaton sing. They were dropped into the dungeon below the stage. Chara tried and failed to get through the maze of colored squares, and watched as the walls of fire closed in... and stopped before Alphys turned them off. Mettaton attacked, and was "defeated" by Alphy's bullet-shooting cell phone feature. Alphys said that helping them had raised her confidence, and they continued on.

(I'm glad Alphys feels better, but it sounds like Mettaton's tired of playing along.)

(He is. After this he starts following his own script. There's still some time and other fights before the finale, though.)

They continued to the hotel.

They met Sans.


	7. Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

Sans stood by the hotel door as the boy walked up. "hey. i heard you're going to the core. how about grabbing some dinner with me first?"

"Sounds good."

"great, thanks for treating me. over here, i know a shortcut."

x******x  
Sans looked at the boy sitting silently across from him. (time to push a bit.)

"well, here we are. so. your journey's almost over, huh? you really must wanna go home. i know the feeling, buddo. though... maybe sometimes it's better to take what's given to you. down here you've already got food, drink, friends... is what you have to do... really worth it?"

Sans closed his eyes, looking as though he weren't paying attention to the human's answer. His subtlety was wasted as the boy leaned forward and said, "Yes."

"it's that important, huh?"

Sans waited, but the single word and a face filled with determination were all he got from the human. "ah, forget it. hey. let me tell you a story. so i'm a sentry in snowdin forest, right?"

x******x  
(Frisk?)

(What is it?)

(Have you ever told Sans about the future? What happens?)

(No.)

(Do you mind if I try telling him?)

(Chara... if Asriel hears us, we'll have to start over. I don't want another time like that, the last one was... bad.)

(I'll make sure he doesn't. But... Sans is the one who judges you, isn't he? If he says I'm okay, then Asriel should be fine with my soul, right?)

(Are you sure you want to do this?)

(I'm not going to hurt Asriel again. If Sans can help with that, if he says I'm all right now, then I can believe it. If I'm not, I'll keep trying until I am. I just have to be sure.)

(All right. Just be careful, okay?)

(Okay.)

x******x  
Sans continued his story, but saw a look of distraction on the kid's face. He kept talking, leaning back casually as he scrutinized the boy across the table.

"one day, though, i noticed that she wasn't laughing very much. i asked her what was up. then she said something strange. 'if a human ever comes through this door... can you please, please promise something? watch over them, and protect them, will you not?' now this woman, i don't even know her name. but... someone who sincerely likes bad jokes has an integrity you can't say no to."

The boy's face had tightened and paled.

(sorry, kid, but... i gotta know.)

"do you get what i'm saying? that promise i made to her... you know what would have happened if she hadn't said anything? buddy." The light in Sans' eyesockets died. "...You'd be dead where you stand."

The boy inhaled, then exhaled, before speaking in a voice so soft it was a whisper. "I know what I owe Toriel, Sans. That she saved me from a bad time."

The words hung in the air between them, as Sans stared back at the nightmare across the table from him.

"There's only one way you could know that." Sans' hollow eyesockets bore into the brown eyes across from him.

"Yes. Sans... I need judgment."

Sans felt as though time were *bending* again. "You. Are asking me. To judge you?"

"Yes." The boy leaned across the table, imploring. "Sans, I need to talk to you, but... do you know somewhere we could talk in private? Somewhere... without flowers?"

"You should know where the chapel is."

"I do. Is that private enough?"

Sans blinked, and the light in his eyesockets returned. "it will be. it was made for folks to go and think things over, and to tell each other secrets. it has a lot of magic to keep conversations muffled, and the floor is thick stone. i'll just make sure that things are ready when you show up."

The boy leaned back, a look of gratitude and relief on his face. "Thank you, Sans."

"just do me one favor, kid. don't make me give you a bad time."

The boy winced, and his eyes glistened. "Sans... I'm trying to get someone else out of a bad time."

"okay. you can tell me about it when you get to the chapel. oh, and do one more thing for me, will ya? don't mess around with time any more before you get there."

"I won't."

x******x  
Sans walked away, thinking hard. The boy was his nightmare. He knew about the flower, and he was the one who had nearly caused a time paradox.

And he wanted to talk. Privately. He might have thought that the kid wanted to get him alone to kill him, but... no. He was good at reading expressions. The boy had really meant it.

(what am i gonna hear? and what am i gonna see when i look at his soul?)

x******x  
(Are you all right, Chara?)

(I'm fine. Just... more memories. From when you had a bad time.)

(...It'll be okay, Chara. Sans is a good judge of character.)

(Good. I'm counting on it.)

They stood up from the table and walked out into the hotel, squishing past the statue of Mettaton fountaining water onto the carpet. They delivered room service. They talked to the alley garbage girls, bought a Glamburger from BurgerPants, and set up a date. They got a room and rested. Then they headed into the Core.

x******x  
They came to the elevator, and found it not functioning. "What? The elevator should be working... W-well then! Go to the right and keep heading up!"

(This is where Mettaton quits playing along with Alphys, isn't it?)

(Yeah. There are a few fights in here with monsters Mettaton hired. I'll tell you where to go.)

(Frisk, it's not that easy doing this with you here. How did you get through by yourself the first time?)

(Saving and determination. The only times I've really been scared since finding out I could Save is when Asriel took it over again.)

(After he took the souls of everyone in the underground?)

(No. Another time. When I told Alphys about what happens.)

(What did he do?)

(Chara... can you wait until we see Sans? If we're telling him everything, it's something he should hear, and it's... not a good memory.)

(Of course, Frisk. Sorry.)

(It's okay. I just don't want to have to tell it twice.)

They continued through the Core. Alphys tried to guide them, but with limited success. They finally reached the end of the Core.

(Okay, Mettaton's through here. We'll need the Glamburger.)

(Ready, Frisk. What happens this time?)

(Well, after Alphys calls and we flip Mettaton's switch... It's kind of a dance-off.)

(But-Mettaton's just got a wheel. How can he-never mind. I'll just wait and find out.)

x******x  
Mettaton revealed Alphys' plan to trick them, and his own plan to take their soul and become a star in the human world. Alphys told them about Mettaton's switch, and the battle of actors began. Mettaton reached new heights of popularity, took calls from his fans, and decided to stay in the Underground, shutting down after his batteries ran out. Alphys unlocked the door and checked on Mettaton, and Chara continued towards the castle. Alphys caught up with them, and when they reached the elevator she confessed that to cross the barrier they would need to take Asgore's soul. Alphys turned and fled, crying.

(Should we go after her?)

(She's shut herself in her lab. Chara... we can either keep going now, and talk to Sans, or we can go back and see Undyne and Alphys. We need to do both. Which do you want to do first?)

(The tour guide's offering a choice now?)

(Yep!)

(...Let's go back for Alphys. I'm worried about her.)

(All right. We should get a call from Undyne after we're out of the Core.)

(Okay. Back we go.)

x******x  
They answered Undyne's phone call. They retrieved Undyne's letter. They delivered the letter to Alphys, accepted her mistake about being the letter's writer, and went on her date to the dump. They helped Alphys decide to tell Undyne the truth about her feelings. They watched as Alphys confessed to Undyne. They saw Undyne first trash Alphys, then tell her what she admired about her, and finally assign her to training with Papyrus. Chara told Undyne that anime was real. They started back for the lab.

(Chara, why did you tell Undyne that anime is real?)

(Because... Frisk, anime is dramatic stories, right, like the ones in Alphys' lab? About friendship, absurd situations, and magic?)

(Yeah, so why-)

(There are two of us sharing one body, we just had a date with a dinosaur in a garbage dump based on a mistake about a love letter, and we're trying to save someone with no soul.)

(...But on the surface, there is no magic.)

(What do you think is going to happen after the barrier is broken?)

(Oh... yeah, you're right. Things really are going to be different, aren't-)

Their phone rang. Papyrus told them that, for no reason, he thought they should go to Alphy's lab.

(Papyrus just can't avoid being straightforward, can he?)

(I've never seen him manage being subtle in any timeline. He's just too-him.)

They continued to the lab. They found Alphys' note. They faced the door.

(Chara...)

(It's okay, Frisk. I'll be fine.)

(Just... let me know if the memories are too much to handle.)

(I will.)

They entered the real lab.


	8. Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7

Sans watched from the shadows in a corner of the lab as the kid walked into the elevator to the real lab below. He'd gone to the chapel to make sure the magic that dampened sounds was at full strength, but had come back to watch the boy afterwards. Putting up a screen to keep their discussion confidential wouldn't take long, and it made more sense to keep an eye on the kid than to sit around waiting, as restful as that sounded. Besides, he'd have been waiting a while, considering the kid's detour. Not that he objected to the kid's priorities; not after seeing how Alphys had looked when she came through the lab earlier. Sad. Upset. Like she could use a friend.

Alphys hadn't been comfortable around Sans since her experiments had started going wrong, and she'd refused to let him tell anyone what had happened. But maybe the kid could help her out. He'd encouraged her to tell the truth at the dump, and she seemed to trust him. (trusting the kid seems to be working out for the best so far. wonder if alphys would miss a pack of noodles?)

x******x  
They fell with the elevator as it lost power. They walked through the lab, reading Alphys' notes. They encountered and appeased the amalgamates. They found the keys.

They found the videos.

(We don't have to watch these if you don't want to.)

(I think I should, Frisk. I'm going to have to face this, and I might as well start now.)

(If you're sure. Just let me know if you need to stop.)

(Okay.)

They listened as Asgore and Toriel joked together.

They listened as Asriel asked Chara to make his creepy face.

(I remember that. I would remember what happened at the orphanage, and what I wanted to do to those boys...)

(Chara? Are you all right?)

(...I'll be okay.)

(Are you sure?)

(Yes. Put in the next one.)

They listened as Asriel talked about the mistake with buttercups that had poisoned Asgore.

Chara's breath quickened.

(Chara?)

(Keep going.)

(Chara, are you-)

Chara reached out and put in the next tape.

They listened to Asriel protesting at Chara's plan, before agreeing to it.

Chara wept.

(Chara, you don't have to-)

Chara put in the last tape.

They heard Asgore calling for Chara to wake up. They heard Asriel crying over Chara, before saying he'd go through with the plan to go out and take six human souls.

Chara sobbed.

(Asriel... Asriel, why did you go along with it? Why didn't you tell Mom and Dad? Asriel!-)

(Chara-)

(I just wanted you to be happy, and help you break the barrier, and instead I hurt you. I took your body, you lost your soul-)

(Chara!)

(I killed us both, and then I blamed you for not letting it be worse! WHY DID I HAVE TO BE SUCH AN IDIOT?!)

(Chara, we can't go that far back. But we can still help Asriel. We can still break the barrier. We're almost there.)

(I know... I know... I'm sorry, Frisk. It just hurts. I know you hurt worse, and that's my fault too, but-)

(Chara. I would do it again to bring you back.)

(F-Frisk?)

(I would kill everyone again if that was what it took to find you, Chara.)

(Frisk, don't say that! I've already hurt too many people, I-)

(And each time I reset, they come back.)

(But, Frisk...)

(If it were permanent, I wouldn't do it. If they remembered... I don't think I could do it. But as long as I'm the one who pays for it, I would do whatever it took to find you again, the same as I did for Asriel.)

(Frisk... thank you isn't enough.)

(Yes, it is.)

(Seriously, Frisk, it's not.)

(Chara, if you really mean that-)

(I do!)

(Then help me bring Asriel back.)

(But I would do that anyway!)

(Then you're already paying me back.)

(Frisk... I'm glad you fell down here.)

(So am I. ...Let's go find Alphys.)

(Okay.)

x******x  
They reached the elevator power switch and turned it on. They were advanced upon by a horde of amalgamates, and rescued when Alphys called them back with their dinners. They listened as Alphys confessed to experimenting on dying monsters by injecting them with determination, that the monsters had returned to life but that their bodies had been fused together by the determination overload, and how she had been too afraid to admit to their families that they had been turned into the amalgamates. She decided to tell the truth about what had happened, thanked them for supporting her, and left to take the amalgamates home.

(Frisk, when she said she might do something cowardly... Did she mean...)

(It's what you think it means. Now that she's taking the amalgamates home, she'll feel less guilty. She'll be okay, Chara.)

(Good.)

They went into the hall. They read the last of Alphys' records. They answered their phone.

"Chara... are you there? It's been a long time, hasn't it? But you've done well. Thanks to you, everything has fallen into place. Chara... see you soon."

(Frisk, that was-)

(Asriel. We're almost there. We just need to talk to Sans and head to the barrier.)

(He always does this? Does he always use my name?)

(Uh huh. He still remembers you, and thinks of me as you.)

(That's... weird. You're nothing like me. In a good way!)

(It's all right. Asriel isn't thinking clearly right now.)

(Yeah. I'm ready, Frisk. Ready to see Sans. Ready to save Asriel.)

(Let's go do it, then.)

x******x  
They rode the elevator. They walked through the castle hallways. They entered the king's house. They read his note. They stumbled as they walked down the hallway.

(Chara?)

(I... there are so many memories, Frisk. Can you-would you take over for a while?)

(Sure, Chara.)

(Thank you.)

Frisk went into the kitchen. He found the key. He saw the discarded recipes for pie in the wastebasket.

(Dad... always liked Mom's pie. He never could make it right himself...)

Frisk left the kitchen. He walked back to the front door.

(Frisk... can I take over again for a minute?)

(Of course. Just tell me if you need me again.)

(Thanks.)

Chara walked to the end of the hall. He took the key from the stand, then took a deep breath. (This is Dad's room.)

(Do you want to go in?)

(...)

Chara opened the door. He looked at the nose-nuzzling trophy. (I remember Mom teasing Dad about this.) He looked at the macaroni flower on the wall. (Asriel made that for Dad. They both loved plants.) He looked in the clothes drawer, and found a pink sweater. (I made this for him. Mom showed me how; they were so proud...) Tears fell, wetting the wool.

(You knit?)

(Yeah. I liked clothes, Asriel and Dad liked plants. We both liked to draw.)

Chara walked back out into the hallway. (Mom's room is the one with the sign on it. Our room is over there.)

Chara went into his bedroom. He stood, shaking.

(Chara-)

(I'll be okay, Frisk. I just need a moment.) Chara straightened and looked around. (Everything is still the same, just dusty. That's my bed... that's where I died.) He shivered, and looked away. (I made that flower drawing for Asriel; he wanted to know what the flowers in my village looked like. And...) He walked to a lump on the floor and picked it out of the dust. (This is Asriel's gardening knife.) He turned it over, looking at it. (He was so proud when Dad gave him a real knife.) He took a step forward, and dust rose as something bounced away from his foot. He stooped, and picked up a heart-shaped locket. (And this-this is the locket Asriel gave me for my first birthday with them. I still remember what it says. Best Friends Forever.)

Chara bent his head. Tears fell to the floor, raising small puffs of dust. Frisk's left arm reached out and rubbed his right.

(Th-thanks, Frisk. Sorry to keep wearing out your eyes like this. Haha. And I used to call Asriel a crybaby.)

(It's all right. We're going to bring him back.)

(Yes. Yes, we are. I'm ready, Frisk.)

(All right.)

They unlocked the chain. They walked down the corridor. They came to the chapel. They found Sans waiting.


	9. Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8

Sans watched as the kid came in. His eyes were red and puffy; looked like he'd been crying. The kid nodded at him, then emptied his pockets and set down his cell phone before coming closer.

Sans was nervous. This boy was a puzzle, and the pieces didn't fit. He knew about Sans' "bad time," which meant he was the killer Sans had dreamed of so often. He hadn't hurt anyone, had made friends with everyone he met. He had nearly broken the timeline. He had begged Sans for a chance to talk to him alone, and as much as said that he knew about the yellow flower. And emptying his inventory to emphasize that he didn't want to fight reminded Sans of his connection with the nightmares.

And reminded him of the one nightmare that had been different.

"Hi, Sans."

"hey kid. took you long enough."

"Sorry. I... needed to see someone else first."

"yeah. thanks for talking with alphys. i think she'll feel better now."

"I hope so. Sans... are we alone?"

Sans looked around the chapel. "looks like it to me."

"I... Sans, it's really important that no one else hear this. I promise you I'll tell you everything I can, I'll answer any question I can. But I have to be sure no one else can hear us. Things have gotten really, really bad before when I wasn't careful."

The kid... his voice had shifted. It was slight, but... it was like he'd changed accents, or started mimicking someone else.

"okay. just give me a minute. and don't panic, okay?"

"Okay. What are you-"

Sans' left eye blazed into life. The kid jumped, then relaxed again. (oh yeah, he's definitely seen that before.) Sans focused, and a shimmering wall of blue light appeared behind both him and the boy. He nodded. "okay, privacy screen is up. talk away."

"This will probably take a long time, Sans."

"no problem. tibia-nest-"

The kid smirked.

"-we probably woulda been fine with just the silence magic after i checked it. but you looked serious enough earlier that i thought you weren't being humerus."

The kid grinned and shook his head, then looked serious. "I meant it, Sans. And thank you."

"the best thanks would be some answers. like, why does someone who knows what a bad time is want me to judge them?"

"Because..." The kid took a deep breath. "Because I want to change. Because I need to help someone, and I-I can't do that if I'm still the same person I was."

"and you think you can change?"

"I do." The kid's voice had shifted to that other one again. "You asked me, another time, if I thought even the worst person could change. Whether everybody can be a good person, if they just try."

"and you said yes."

The kid froze, eyes widening. "Sans. You remember that?"

"yeah. you were the first nightmare that ever talked. or cried. every other nightmare i've had, they just killed me without hesitation. usually smiling at the end."

"But... I Reset..."

"yeah." Sans' left eyesocket glowed a dim blue. "again. at least you had something to fix this time. the others... it gets hard to care about things, when you know it's all going to go away again. when every time you get to see the surface, you're wondering how long it's gonna be before you wake up underground."

The kid's face teared up. "Oh, no. Sans... does anyone else remember?"

"nope. just me. so tell me, why do you keep letting us out and then putting us back down here? why did you kill everyone, when you were crying and apologizing over it?" The blue glow in Sans' left eyesocket gleamed brighter, as the light in his right eyesocket went out. "Why are you messing with us, kid?"

The boy fell to his knees, sobbing. His right arm was stroking his left. "Sans, I'm sorry, I didn't know, I didn't mean to hurt you, I-"

"Then tell me what you're doing."

"I-" The kid sniffled. "I'm trying to save Asriel."

The blue glow in Sans' left eyesocket snapped out. "But Prince Asriel's dead."

The boy looked up, face tear-stained. "Do you remember the yellow flower that's been talking to Papyrus?"

Sans stared, then gave a slow nod as the light returned to his eyes. "yeah. the one from the garden that had asriel's dust on it. the one that alphys experimented on."

The boy looked surprised. "You... know?"

"i know about alphys' experiments. i tried to get her to talk about them with asgore, admit what happened, but she was too scared. things got... uncomfortable between us after that. i'm glad you were able to talk her into coming clean." Sans shook his head. "never thought anything was left of asriel, though."

"He has his memories, Sans. But... no soul. No feelings. It's... changed him."

"okay. so the flower is asriel. how does killing everyone help bring him back?"

The boy sighed. "This is complicated. I think we're just going to have to tell you everything from the very beginning."

"we? someone else in there with you?"

"Yeah. My name is Frisk - I fell down a hole and landed in the Ruins." The kid's voice shifted. "And I'm Chara. Asriel's brother. I'm-" He looked down. "I'm the one who started all of this."

"okay. i've seen the videos in alphy's lab, i figured out the plan to get out and take human souls, but... chara is gone."

"No, Sans." The boy looked up through eyes full of tears. "I am Chara. I'm-the reason Frisk-" His head sank, and his left arm cradled his right. He looked up again. "I killed everyone to find him, Sans," he said with his other voice, eyes still wet. "To find a soul for Asriel."

Sans looked at him, and his left eye blazed. The boy looked back, eyes weeping but unflinching, then looked down as shimmering blue light covered the floor. It spread up the walls to the ceiling until he and Sans were enclosed in a blue box, lit with glowing green beams where the golden light of the chapel windows fell.

"should be safe enough without this," Sans said as he sat down against a wall. "but it sounds like your stories are gonna take some time telling. and i don't want asriel getting ideas 'cause he's bored."

"Thank you, Sans." The boy took a deep breath and wiped his eyes, then blew his nose on his sleeve. "My part came first, so I should start."

"hold on. if you're both gonna be talking, i need a way to tell you apart."

"Okay. I'll hold up our right hand when I'm talking, and Frisk can use our left."

"our hands, huh?"

"We... kind of share control. I'm right handed and Frisk is left handed, so we each use the arm we're comfortable with."

"okay," Sans said, leaning back against the blue-shimmering wall of the chapel. "whenever you're ready."

"All right. I grew up in an orphanage in a village near Mount Ebott..."

x******x  
"...and the last thing I remember was... was hating everything. Wanting to destroy the whole world."

Chara was looking at the floor, eyes dripping tears again. He wiped at his eyes with the handkerchief Sans had given him.

"And then... Frisk came."

"Yeah." Frisk's left arm came up. "I climbed the mountain, tripped and fell into a hole in a cave, and woke up in the Ruins. I-" He stopped abruptly, and his face took on the distracted look he'd had in the restaurant at Mettaton's hotel. (so that's what it looks like when they're talking with each other.) After a moment, he looked up again. "Chara's asking why I climbed the mountain, so I'll start there. There isn't much to tell."

He took a deep breath. "Chara's orphanage used striped shirts as uniforms. The orphanage is still there, and they kept the striped shirts, but- It's okay, Chara, it's not the same any more. There was a lot of trouble after... after what happened with you and Asriel, and the orphanage closed down. I don't know how long ago exactly, but a long time before I was born. A couple, the Feldmans, bought it and reopened it, and they kept the striped shirts out of tradition." Frisk smiled. "They like traditions, and history. They wanted kids, but they couldn't have any, so they opened an orphanage instead. They're nice. No, I didn't run away because of someone there- not everyone there was nice, but there was no one like that."

Sans interrupted Frisk's conversation with Chara. "so if the orphanage was nice, why climb the mountain?"

"To avoid being adopted."

"you liked it there that much?"

"Not exactly. I mean-there was a girl at the orphanage, Shelly. A couple named Smith came, and they were deciding between me and her. Shelly really, really wanted to go with them, and- No, I'm not in love with her, not like that anyway, but the Feldmans said that they were sure someone would want me, and no one else had ever asked to adopt Shelly before, and I like the Feldmans and thought I'd just wait for someone else-"

"hey." Sans waited until Frisk's attention was back on him. "so you ran away so Shelly would be adopted?"

"Uh huh." Frisk nodded. "I thought that if I were gone, they'd have to choose her. So I left the Feldmans a note, then headed up Mount Ebott. I was sure no one would look for me there. I was always curious about the mountain, and I thought I could just come back in a few days. The Smiths were supposed to be there in the morning, and I snuck out that night."

"just to make sure i have this right. you ran away from the orphanage to give someone else your chance at having a family?"

"Well, I had the Feldmans already."

"frisk... you sound like you're trying to out-nice king fluffybuns." Frisk blushed. "so what happened after you fell into the ruins?"

"I met Toriel - she's the one behind the door in Snowdin, the one you made the promise to."

"yeah, i caught that at the hotel. i always wondered where she went; shoulda guessed she'd go back home."

"Toriel wanted me to stay with her. To be her child. I-the first time I was there, I almost stayed. I wanted to. But if I did, the Feldmans, Shelly, everyone would think I was lost and dead. I tried using the cell phone to call them, but it won't reach anyone outside the mountain. I had to get out to let them know I was okay." Frisk's right hand squeezed his left arm. "Toriel didn't want to let me leave, but... I insisted. Then I met you."

"right."

"This time through was pretty much the same as the others, just with Chara doing things. You know what we've done and what's happened?"

"yeah. i've kept an eye on you, especially after you tried to break time. mind explaining that?"

"That was new. Chara was wishing that he could go back and stop all of this from happening, so I tried going back with him."

Sans sat up from his slouch. "What exactly did you do?"

Frisk's eyes widened. "Sans?"

Sans settled back. "i know you were trying to help, frisk, but... i've seen that kind of thing go really badly before. and you couldn't go back without some point in time to try and go to."

"Well, I asked Chara to think of a memory from before he died. One he had strong feelings about. Then, when he had it in mind, I tried pushing for it, the way I do when I Reset." Frisk shook his head. "It didn't work."

"frisk. you are luckier than you have any idea of."

"Why?"

"i know of one other person to ever try something like that, and... the backlash destroyed him. he was scattered across time and space both, we think. we never even found any of his dust."

"Who was it?"

"the first royal scientist. w.d. gaster. my other brother. the smartest person i've ever known." Sans shifted, bones rattling against the floor. "he was working on breaking the barrier even before he graduated from college. he designed the core first to try and get enough energy to break the barrier, but then he calculated that we just couldn't get enough power that way. there isn't enough room in the whole underground to build batteries large enough to hold that much electricity, and it would take a few thousand years to fill 'em anyway. then he started messing with time. figured if we could go back and stop the war from happening, we'd never end up down here at all." Sans was silent for a moment. "he made a time machine. one that worked. we were still testing it when... asriel died. when gaster learned what asgore's plan to break the barrier was, he wanted to stop it. but when he tried going back to before the war started... it caused a contradiction in time. time couldn't bend that way, and when it snapped back, it-disintegrated him. do you know what a paradox is?"

"Kind of. It's something that contradicts itself, isn't it?"

"right. it's an idea that won't work because parts of it conflict with each other, so that they can't both be true. if there had never been a war, if we'd never been sealed down here, we would never have made the time machine. then there would have been no time machine for gaster to use in that new future. so when he tried going back and stopping the war, he tried to stop the machine from existing. that made a paradox, and time... rejected it."

"Sans... I'm sorry."

"nothing for you to be sorry for. he was trying to help, same as you were. he just won the coin toss for which of us used the machine. i tried to bring him back, or at least find his dust, for a long time. learned a lot doing it." Sans gestured at the shimmering walls around them. "but... he was always better with science and machinery than i was. alphys and i both tried fixing the time machine, but we just couldn't make it work again. after a while... i gave up trying."

"Is there anything we can do?"

"...i just finished telling you i tried everything i could think of, and the first thing you want to do is try again?"

Frisk's right arm rose. "That's how he is, Sans. If he thinks there's any hope at all, he won't let it go."

"yeah, i've noticed. and about that, how do things usually go when i meet you here?"

Left arm. "Usually... you judge me, and see if I have any EXP or LOVE. I don't, and you let me pass by. Then..." Frisk swallowed. "The first time, the very first time, Asgore refused to let me spare him. I had to fight him until he was knocked down. He couldn't kill me, and I wouldn't kill him."

"you found another way, huh?"

"He... he really didn't want to fight me. He feels guilty about what he's doing, and... I think I reminded him of Chara. Besides, I could keep trying until I got it right."

"good point. so what happened after that?"

"Then... Asriel killed Asgore. He'd taken the six human souls Asgore had while we were fighting, and... he... he took over the ability to control time again. To Save and Reset." Frisk shivered. "He turned himself into something horrible, with a face like the determination extractor in Alphys' lab and with the six human souls in containers along with him. He said he'd keep me around so he could kill me over and over again."

"hold on. you said asriel took over the ability to control time again. so he was able to do that before?"

"Yes." Frisk gulped. "The first time I met Toriel... she said she wouldn't let me leave unless I showed her I could survive. I... I thought the only way to convince her I was strong enough was to fight her. I didn't mean to, but... I killed her." Frisk stopped and used Sans' handkerchief again. "Then... I went back to the Save before I fought her. I did it right that time, I convinced her to let me out without hurting her. But Asriel knew what had happened before. He said that he'd had control of Saving before, but that my will-my determination-had overpowered his."

Sans looked at the ceiling for a moment, before turning his gaze back to Frisk. "so you've been doing the last bunch of resets, but the ones before were asriel?"

"Right. He told me another time that after he came back, he helped everyone at first, but then... he got bored. He couldn't feel anything, and he-he started messing with people, hurting and killing them, trying anything he could imagine to experience something new."

Sans' eye flamed blue, then faded again. "...getting back to your story, though. you said that after asriel grabbed the humans' souls, he had enough determination, his and theirs combined, to take over control of time again?"

"Yes."

"So how'd you get out?"

"He tried using the souls to attack me. I helped them to come back, to remember themselves again, and they revolted against him. They took his power, then left him. Then... he asked me to kill him."

"did you?"

"No. I felt sorry for him."

"you're kidding."

Right arm. "No, Sans, he isn't. I asked him before if there was anyone he doesn't love, and he said no. He meant it."

"yeah. i'm still trying to understand how frisk could kill everyone."

"That... that was my fault."

Left arm. "I'll explain, Sans. But I need to do it in order."

"okay. keep going."

"Anyway... after I refused to kill asriel, he asked if I wanted a happier ending and said I should make friends with everyone. I went back, and I found out about Alphys' experiments. Then I went and met Asgore again, but... that time Toriel showed up and stopped him. Then everyone else that Papyrus had called came, and-"

"hold it. why would papyrus call everyone? how would he know-" Sans stopped. "asriel was-is-the flower talking to papyrus. and asriel wants souls."

"Right. He took the six human souls again while everyone was talking, and then he took their souls too - everyone who came to help me, who cared about me. And then... he had six human souls, and all of the souls of all the monsters in the underground. The same as seven human souls. He made his old body again. Then... he became a god."

"a god."

Right hand. "Powerful enough to count as one, anyway. I saw them fight. The only reason Asriel didn't win is because Frisk talked him out of it - that and being determined enough to refuse to die."

"so how did that happen?"

Left hand. "Well, at first Asriel was playing at fighting with me. He said that he just wanted to keep me making my journey to him over and over. Then, after he really trying to stop me, he said that he'd make everyone forget about me. I... reached out... and woke my friends up again. Toriel, Asgore, Undyne, Alphys, you and Papyrus. Then... I woke up Asriel. Having everyone's souls in him gave him his emotions back. He was lonely, and wanted me to stay with him. He tried stopping me again, but... I wouldn't give in."

"you just refused to stop? that's it?" Sans' right socket expanded, as though he were raising an eyebrow.

Right hand. "I remember it, Sans. Asriel's last attack... Frisk just endured it until Asriel couldn't stand hitting him any longer."

"okay, i'll believe you. asriel broke the barrier after that, right? i know we got out before. i have a picture from one of the resets with everyone outside and above ground."

"Yes. Asriel destroyed the barrier and put everyone's souls back, and let the six human souls go. Then-" Frisk fell silent.

"then what, frisk?"

"Then I went back to the Ruins and found Asriel." Frisk's face began to run with fresh tears. "He told me that without a soul, he was going to turn back into a flower. That he was going to stay underground. That I should just remember him the way he was now, and go and be happy with everyone else. That he wouldn't leave. That I had better things to do than stay with him." Frisk bent his head, voice choked. "He didn't deserve that! He broke the barrier, he gave everyone's souls back, he freed everyone, and he was going to turn back into a flower with no soul!" Frisk took a breath, and looked up at Sans. "That's why I've been resetting, Sans. I can't leave Asriel."

"okay." Sans nodded. "i understand. but why didn't you tell anyone before? why didn't you tell me?"

"I tried telling other people, Sans. But whenever I did, they couldn't help, and Asriel ended up overhearing. He follows me through the Underground in every reset. And he would change his plans, and I'd have to fight him as a new horrible thing. The last time I tried telling Alphys, and Asriel used the determination extractor on the human souls. I... I almost lost, Sans. I had to help them get their determination back so they could stop Asriel, and I was afraid he would get tired of bringing me back to kill me again before I got it right, or that he'd finally stop being overconfident and realize I might win." Frisk was shuddering all over, rocking, as his right arm rubbed his left. "I've never been more scared than I was then. After that, I didn't risk telling anyone about what happens again."

"okay." Sans pointed at the shimmering blue walls around them. "that won't happen this time. these block sight and sound, and it'll show if anything tries coming through them. no leaks." He winked. "i promise."

"Thanks, Sans." Frisk gave Sans a shaky smile and took several deep breaths, then continued. "I tried resetting and trying different things a lot of times, but I couldn't find any way to help Asriel. Then I tried making him take my soul. He wouldn't do it. When I insisted, he was terrified. He didn't want to hurt anyone else; he said he'd kill himself first. That's when... I heard Chara."

Right hand. "I remember seeing some of what Frisk was doing through the resets, but it was like I was dreaming. I didn't realize what was going on until Frisk figured out I was there and called me. And then..." Chara stared at the floor. "I told him to kill everyone. That I'd only come out if everyone else was dead." Frisk's eyes flowed again with Chara's tears. "I still hated everything. I wanted to destroy everything, and I wanted to use Frisk to do it."

"and frisk went along with it?"

Left hand. "I did. I'm sorry, Sans, but... I thought if I could just find Chara, could get him to come back with me after I reset, if he could see Asriel-"

"you wanted him to give asriel his soul. right?"

"Yes. The first time... I didn't kill Asriel."

"And I wouldn't come out." Chara's voice was a mumble.

"So I went back, and started again." Frisk looked up, face wet, eyes red. "That's when I talked to you, Sans. Two resets ago."

"two, huh?"

"After Chara came out, I asked him to come back with me. He-" Frisk's right hand rose.

"I refused at first. I told him I'd just take his soul's power and destroy the world. I tried." Chara smiled through red eyes and tear-stained cheeks. "I couldn't. Frisk had too much determination for me to kill him. Then-" Chara looked at the floor. "He said that I could either come with him, or he could kill himself and take me with him. That that way the rest of the world would be safe. I gave in, and he reset. He went back through, being friends with everyone. I... didn't pay much attention. He fought Asriel, and then met him in the ruins. I-I still didn't feel anything, still hated everything. Frisk didn't even ask me if I'd give Asriel my soul. He couldn't do that to him. Then-Frisk had said that if I came back with him, he'd show me where he got his determination. I asked him to give me his soul so I could see, and... he did."

Frisk's left hand rose. "I... gave up, Sans. I had failed Asriel, I had killed everyone... it hurt, and I wanted it to stop. I... just stopped caring. Sans, I-"

"i understand, frisk."

Frisk's right hand rose. "So Frisk gave me his soul. He told me when I was trying to kill him that he'd died with everyone he'd killed until he was too determined to die, that he'd felt everything he'd done to everyone else. I didn't believe him before I took his soul. He was right. The pain in his soul... it felt like I was dying, and I thought he was trying to kill me. I gave his soul back. Then... I remembered when and why I had hurt like that before. When I lost Asriel. When I had loved him."

"so frisk shocked your emotions back to life?"

"Kind of. I still didn't care about other people, but I had my love for Asriel back. And for Frisk. I was the way I had been before I started hating everything. Then... Frisk suggested we reset again, with me doing things."

"to do what?"

"To try and... and fix me. I couldn't give my soul to Asriel, the way it was then. It would be like it was before, with him afraid I would hurt someone. Frisk thought if I tried meeting people, tried caring about them, I might fix myself."

"and then you asked me to judge you."

"Sans... I want to help Asriel. I want my brother back. I am ready to give my soul to him to do that, I just-I can't hurt him again, Sans." Chara stared into Sans' eyesockets with eyes filled with tears and determination. "Whatever it takes, I will bring Asriel back. Whatever I have to give, I will give it."

Sans looked back at Chara in silence, then stood. "okay. storytime done?"

The boy stood, and nodded. "I think we've told you everything."

"you still want me to do the whole judgment thing?"

Right hand. "I would. It... would make me feel better, Sans." Left hand. "Me, too."

"okay. Here is my judgment of you two."

They straightened at Sans' tone, looking into his face as his left eye glowed.

"Frisk. You have manipulated the lives of everyone in the underground. You have taken their futures many times, and finally killed them before returning them to life, twice over."

Frisk paled, staring into Sans' glowing eyesocket.

"I cannot forgive you for what you have done to others; they must forgive you or not as they will. But..." The glow in Sans' left eyesocket faded. "as far as i'm concerned, you're forgiven."

"Even after all of the Resets? Even after I-I killed you and Papyrus?"

"well..." Sans rubbed the back of his head. "the worst thing about the resets was feeling like nothing meant anything. that there was no point, no future. but now i know there was a reason. you were trying to help a hurt, scared kid get his soul back. and you were willing to do whatever it took to help him, the same as i tried to do for gaster. knowing that... i understand why you did what you did. i'd even understand if you reset this timeline."

"I couldn't, Sans, not now that I know you remember."

"frisk, if you can't make it work this time, you have my permission to try again. like i said, the worst thing about the resets was thinking that they wouldn't end and had no point. knowing it's to bring asriel back... i think i can live with that."

"Sans..." Frisk stepped forward and hugged him.

"as far as killing me and papyrus is concerned..." Frisk backed up, looking anxiously at Sans. "you did bring everyone back. and i remember that you hadn't gained any LOVE, so you didn't let it distance you from what you were doing. looking at your soul... papyrus tried fixing one of undyne's teacups once, after she'd crushed it. it ended up looking like it was made out of a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle. your soul looks kind of like that now."

"Oh."

"you'll have to live with what you've done, and you'll have to ask the others about what you did to them. but, like i said. as far as i'm concerned, you're forgiven. Now. Chara."

The boy's stance and voice shifted. "Yes, Sans?"

"You are responsible for your own death, and the death of Asriel Dreemurr. Your actions led King Asgore to call for the deaths of any humans who fell into the underground; six have died or been killed, their souls taken. You have helped to kill almost everyone in the underground twice over, and tried to destroy the entire world."

Chara's head hung.

"If you were the same person who Asriel brought back to the underground... I don't think I could forgive you." Chara's inhalation was an unsteady hiss. "but that's not who you are now." Chara looked up, eyes wet. "i know the kid who kills everyone. he's the one who's killed me in my nightmares over and over again, the one i tried to stop from ending the world. he's never cried or showed a sign of regret. he would never apologize for what he did. you aren't him." A blue glow lit Sans' face once again. "and your soul-"

"Sans?"

The blue light in Sans' left eyesocket glowed brighter, almost blinding. "No... There's no way that's real."

"Sans, what is it? Am I-" Sans waved the question aside and walked forward, his eyes fixed on the boy's chest.

"i do not believe this. i'm looking at it, and i still can't believe it." Sans looked at Chara. "you should sit down for this one."

Chara sank to the glowing stone floor, face fixed on Sans'. "Sans... what's wrong?"

"well... chara, your soul isn't complete; it's a split-off piece. but that's not the really strange part. you've got an amalgamated soul, human and monster mixed. and i think the monster must be asriel."

Their jaw dropped in shock. Then a babble poured from their mouth as both tried talking at once. They stopped, and then Frisk's left arm rose. "Sans, how could that happen?" His right arm rose. "Does this mean my soul wouldn't work for Asriel? And is he-still in there?"

"monsters who took human souls were legends even before everyone got sealed down here. all that anyone knows is the story from the tablets. my best guess-and it's only a guess-is that when a monster absorbs a human soul, their souls fuse together. that would fit with how chara and asriel both controlled his body. then, when asriel carried chara's body back and died, chara's soul tried going back to his own body. but the souls were fused. and since asriel's soul tried to stay with his body, the combined soul split. so part of chara's soul-you-went to your own body, taking part of asriel's soul along. that would mean the other parts of your and asriel's souls died together when he turned to dust. like i said, though, this is guessing. what i can see right now, what i'm sure of, is that what's left of your soul is combined with a monster's. and the only monster's soul your soul could be combined with is asriel's."

"But does that mean he's in here?"

"well, a piece of his soul is. but you haven't noticed any signs of him before, have you?"

Left hand. "No." Right hand. "No."

"chara, you said that until frisk woke you up, you felt like you'd been dreaming. i'm guessing again, but that piece of asriel is probably doing the same thing. human souls are more persistent than monster souls. that's why a part of asriel's soul is still there; your stronger soul preserved it." Sans shrugged. "there's also the question of how you and frisk ended up together. but i think i've done enough guessing already."

Frisk's left hand rose. "Sans, can Chara's soul keep Asriel alive in his own body like it is now?"

"considering that humans souls are stronger than monster souls to start with? i think so. even a part of a human soul should be plenty strong enough." Sans watched as Frisk's face took on a distracted look again, and waited a moment. "got something else on your minds?"

Frisk's right hand rose. "Sans... when Frisk fights Asriel, after he's absorbed the human and monster souls and become a god... while he's like that, Frisk says he's been able to make wishes and dreams become real. Things that he can hold. That actually come true."

Sans stared for a moment, then shook his head. "okay. i'll take your word for it. so?"

Chara took a deep breath. "Sans... I have an idea. I want to see if you think it can work."

"whatcha got?"

"When we fight Asriel... we use a wish to try to restore his soul. After he comes back to himself, we ask him to fix the amalgamates. We ask him to bring my body back to life, and to meet us at my body at the Ruins. Then Asriel takes his soul and mine, and puts my soul back in my body."

Sans stared at Chara. "you came up with that just now?"

"After you told me I've got part of Asriel's soul, I started wondering if there was any way to bring him back completely. Then I remembered what happened when Frisk fought Asriel before, when I was with him."

"well, your plan has a bunch of ifs in it. but it could work."

"Can you think of anything we missed?"

Sans thought for a moment. "not really. if you can get asriel's soul back, he can absorb it again. and he can take chara's soul back. he's done it before. then, if chara and asriel's souls don't fuse, or if they can split again, he should be able to put chara back in his body. don't know what having a smaller soul will do, but if it doesn't work asriel would be able to take you back. asking asriel about the amalgamates is a good idea too."

"That was actually Chara. I should have thought of it before."

"Frisk's just been focused on Asriel."

"glad one of you thought of it. if i could ask a favor, though..."

"We'll try to get Gaster back too."

"thanks."

"And... will you meet us at the Ruins? Just to make sure that everything goes right?"

"sure. should just need to watch, and that's easy enough."

"Sans. Thanks for everything. And... I'm sorry." Right hand. "I'm sorry."

"i won't ask you to forget about it. but i will ask you to remember that i forgave you both already."

"Thank you." "Thank you."

"here, let me give you a hand up."

"Thanks, Sans." Chara reached out and took Sans' hand-and stopped as a "PHPHBBRRRRTTTTTT" rebounded from the glowing walls.

Sans looked down, grinning, as Chara looked back, his hand still clasping Sans' hand and the whoopee cushion. Then he blinked. "Sans?"

"yeah?"

"Would you do that again?"

Sans blinked. "um. okay." He reached out again, and there was another resounding fart from the whoopee cushion.

They grinned. The grin widened until it looked as though their face would split, and then the laughter started. It began as a chuckle, rose to a full laugh, and reached an unstoppable belly laugh as they fell over and rolled on the glowing floor. It was a laugh that had its own echo as the two souls used the same throat to express their shared emotions of relief, happiness, and sheer joy, and it seemed that it would never end.

Sans waited until the laughter came to a breathless, wheezing stop, and then shook his head as they looked up, Frisk's face still straining under a grin to rival Papyrus at Christmas. "congratulations. you just beat toriel for the biggest laugh i've ever heard."

"Sans." Frisk's right arm waved jerkily as they squirmed to a sitting position. "That is the first joke I have ever really, truly felt. Thank you."

Sans' perpetual grin widened. "well, it took long enough. but if you think my jokes are humerus now, it's going tibia fun time boning up on puns, coccyx-dering your temporal-arily delayed-"

They fell over as the laughter started again.

x******x

Sans watched them walk down the corridor towards the throne room. (i could warn papyrus... no. i'll follow their script. should be enough time to leave myself a note first, though. and if i'm lucky-if we're all lucky-i'll never need it.)

x******x  
(Chara, how did you come up with that plan?)

(It just made sense.)

(...I should have asked Asriel about the amalgamates before.)

(You'd have reset again to save him anyway. I just hope he can help them.)

(I'm sure he will. He's able to make his old body again after he absorbs the souls, so he should be able to make the amalgamates' bodies again.)

(Uh huh. I... I just hope this works.)

(I know. I'm nervous, too.)

(What, the time traveler who's done this a hundred times is nervous?)

(I don't think I got to a hundred.)

(Well, how many?)

(I don't know. I stopped counting after twenty-one.)

(Why twenty-one?)

(I decided after the twentieth time that I'd stop. But... I kept dreaming about Asriel. That he was still down there, calling for someone to help him. After that I knew I was going to keep resetting until he was out, so there was no point in counting.)

(Well, this is going to be the last time anyway.)

(I hope so. It's just... I'm sure that everything will be the same up until Asriel comes back. But after that, the plan you came up with, it's all new. I don't know what will happen. I don't know if it will work.)

(That's something you're going to have to get used to again after this is over, isn't it?)

(Yeah. It's been a long time since I didn't know what to expect.)

They walked through the corridors until they came to the throne room. They found Asgore watering the golden flowers that filled the room, with his throne in the middle of the garden.

(This is where Asriel died. Where the seeds from my body dropped and left the golden flowers. Where the flower Alphys injected with determination came from. Where Asriel came back without a soul.)

(Want me to do this, Chara?)

(...Please. Thanks, Frisk.)

Asgore turned and saw them. He spoke, wishing he could offer tea, remarking that it was a nice day, but that there was something else that had to be done. He walked away into the next room.

They followed. Asgore tried to reassure them, telling them to think of it as a trip to the dentist.

(Damn it, Dad! Stop this!)

(Chara?)

(You don't want to do this! You know you shouldn't be doing this! Stop and think about what you're about to do!)

(He's too afraid, Chara. He's gone too far, and he's afraid to turn back. To stop after killing six humans, when he only needs one more human soul to break the barrier.)

(...)

(Chara, are you okay?)

(...Not really. My Dad wants to kill me. But... I guess I'm not one who should be judging him. And he doesn't know it's me.)

(You aren't the same person, Chara. Asgore doesn't have to be, either.)

(Yeah. Frisk... I can't fight Dad.)

(We don't have to. Toriel will stop him.)

(I forgot, you did say that. The first time, though...)

(I... had to try again a few times before I accepted that I had to fight him.)

(Frisk. Thanks for not killing my Dad. Before...)

(You're welcome. And the other time... it's over. It's not coming back.)

(Sorry. I just... can't forget it.)

(I'm not going to, either. We just have to make it worth it.)

(Yes. Let's make sure of it.)

They reached the door leading to the barrier with Asgore.

"Are you ready? If not, I understand. I am not ready either."

(Dad...)

Asgore went through the door. They followed.

They reached the barrier. Asgore asked if they had any unfinished business.

(Frisk?)

(Everything's ready, Chara. You've made friends with everyone. We've helped everyone as much as we can. Now... it's time to finish. To make the best ending we can, together.)

(All right. I'm ready, Frisk.)

(Okay. Here goes.)

Asgore prepared to fight them, but was stopped by Toriel. She lectured Asgore on his failure to choose between two possibilities: either taking a human soul and crossing the barrier himself to gather the souls needed to free the monsters, or refusing to take vengeance and kill humans. Instead he had waited, hoping that no humans would come into the underground but murdering those who did. Asgore admitted his guilt, but asked if Toriel would be friends with him again; she refused, reducing Asgore to tears. Then their friends appeared, calling for an end to the fighting. Undyne. Alphys. Papyrus. Sans, with a wink to Frisk and an exchange of puns with Toriel. Papyrus celebrated the best day of his life, and lamented the puns that ruined it all. Undyne and Alphys had their first kiss interrupted by Toriel. And then Papyrus told Alphys that a little flower had told him to call everyone together.

Again.

Asriel, still a flower, called them an idiot for gathering everyone together where he could steal their souls. He attacked Frisk, who was saved by his friends as they shielded him from Asriel's attacks. Monsters from all across the underground gathered to encourage Frisk.

And then Asriel laughed at their stupidity as he took their souls, and then the souls of the rest of the monsters of the Underground. He gained the power of a god. And he remade his body.

One last time.


	10. Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9

They watched as Asriel took his first breaths in his recreated body, moving his hands and feet.

"Finally. I was so tired of being a flower."

Asriel turned. He was the same child that Chara and Frisk remembered, with short horns, white fur, and long ears, wearing pants and a striped shirt.

"Howdy! Chara, are you there? It's me, your best friend." There was a flash of light, and Asriel changed, now in an adult body, wearing a robe marked with the Delta Rune. "ASRIEL DREEMURR."

(Asriel...)

(It'll be okay, Chara. I'll do the dodging, I've got more experience. You try getting Asriel's soul back, and tell me if you need help.)

(Right!)

Chara thought about why they were there... and felt the embodiment of their shared dreams in Frisk's pockets. (Got the dreams!)

(Great! Still haven't been hit.)

(Oh... Haha.)

(Chara?)

(I just remembered where Asriel came up with this form; he drew himself like this when we were playing Humans and Monsters once. We both wanted to play monsters, so we made characters to fight against the humans together.)

Frisk dodged as Asriel swung a pair of swords at him. (He said he was playing at first. So he came up with this with you?)

(Uh huh. He was a magician, and I was a knight.)

(Well, let's get his soul back so he can tell us about it.)

(Right!)

Chara took out a wish with their right hand as Frisk concentrated on dodging Asriel's attacks. Chara thought about all that they had gone through, and their determination to bring Asriel's soul back.

He felt a lurch, and a splitting sensation. Frisk's control wavered, and he barely avoided the final beam of searing light from Asriel's laser gun. (Chara? Are you all right?)

(Yeah... yes, I'm okay. Asriel's soul just split off from mine and reformed. Frisk... Asriel's soul is whole again.)

(Yes! Now for Gaster!)

Chara focused. He wished that Sans could see his brother again. Their eyes widened as a large roll of paper appeared in their inventory. (Frisk... I don't think Gaster came back, but there's a drawing of a machine here now. Should we try again?)

(No, we've still got one left; if the drawing doesn't help, we can try again after everything is over. Now it's time to end things.)

(Right. Let's finish this!)

They were filled with renewed determination as Asriel began talking to them, as he always talked to Frisk during their battle.

"You know... I don't care about destroying this world anymore."

(It was never about destruction, though, was it? Even as Flowey, it was about boredom. And loneliness.)

"After I defeat you and gain total control over the timeline, I just want to reset everything. All your progress... everyone's memories... I'll bring them all back to zero!"

(But you'd still be down here.)

"Then we can do everything ALL over again."

(And you'd still have no soul. You still wouldn't be happy.)

"And do you know what the best part of all this is? You'll DO it."

(Ha. How many dozen times? But it was always his own choice.)

"And then you'll lose to me again."

(Asriel... You winning means that you would be lost forever.)

"And again. And again!"

(You would be lost in an endless loop, unable to feel happiness or love.)

"Because you want a 'happy ending.'"

(And it's not a happy ending without you.) (Not for either of us. Not even for you.)

"Because you 'love your friends.'"

(And you are my best friend and my brother.) (And I want to be your friend, too.)

"Because you 'never give up.'"

(Not even when he had to kill those he loved and die with them.) (I just want everyone to be happy... and that includes you.)

"Isn't that delicious? Your 'determination.' The power that let you get this far... It's gonna be your downfall!"

(We are not going to give up on you, Asriel.) (No matter how many times it takes.) (No matter how much it hurts.) (No matter what we have to give.)

((I am going to save you, Asriel. And I will never stop trying until I do.))

"Now, ENOUGH messing around! It's time to purge this timeline once and for all!"

They were sucked towards a black hole, everything around them falling into it. But they refused to give in.

"Even after that attack, you're still standing in my way...? But don't get cocky. Up until now, I've only been using a fraction of my REAL power! Let's see what good your DETERMINATION is against THIS!"

Asriel's form changed again, his hands growing and lengthening as his body warped, a pair of spikes emerging from his shoulders to mirror the growth of his horns and fangs. A pair of wings grew from his shoulders, shimmering with shifting colors. The force of Asriel's unleashed power pinned their body in place.

"Urah ha ha ha... behold my TRUE power!"

Comets trailing rainbow light streaked around them as they twisted.

"I can feel it... Every time you die, your grip on this world slips away. Every time you die, your friends forget you a little more. Your life will end here, in a world where no one remembers you..."

((I will not let you go.))

"Still, you're hanging on...? That's fine. In a few moments, you'll forget everything too. That attitude will serve you well in your next life!"

((I will not let them go.))

"Ura ha ha... Still!? Come on... Show me what good your DETERMINATION is now!"

((I will not let go of the ones I love.))

They called to their friends' souls within Asriel.

They called to Undyne.

(Undyne... you showed me that I didn't want to hurt people any longer. You showed me your passion, and challenged me to care as hard as you do.)

(Undyne... every time I met you, your intensity inspired me. When I tried to kill everyone, you stood against me to protect the whole world, humans and monsters both. You never gave up. You are a true hero, Undyne.)

((Undyne... I love you. Please, come back.))

They called to Sans and Papyrus.

(Papyrus... you were my first new friend after Frisk. You thought I was a good person when I still felt almost dead inside. Sans... You made me believe that I really had changed. You gave me the first joke that I truly felt.)

(Papyrus... you always believed I could be a good person, even when I killed you. Sans... you said you had stopped caring, but you never stopped trying to save the world from me, even when you knew you couldn't win. You forgave me, even after all the resets I put you through, even after I killed you and your brother.)

((Papyrus... Sans... I love you both. Please, come back .))

They called to Alphys.

(Alphys... you never meant to hurt anyone with your experiments. You've felt so much guilt from what happened, and I'm the one who started the whole thing. Alphys, you are cool just the way you are.)

(Alphys... I've seen you overcome your fears of confessing your secrets so many times. I understand you better now that I have my own secrets to tell. You helped me to see how important being honest with everyone is. And in the end, you always overcome your fear. You're stronger than you think you are.)

((Alphys... I love you. Please, come back.))

They called on Toriel and Asgore.

(Dad... Mom... I'm so sorry I hurt you. You always loved me, always cared for me and Asriel. I promise you, I will make things right. I will help bring an end to everyone's imprisonment. I will bring Asriel back to you. I will not let what Dad has done be without purpose.)

(Toriel... leaving you, hurting you, was one of the hardest things I've ever done. I know you want to have a child again; I promise you, I will bring Asriel back to you. Asgore... you never really wanted to kill me. When you refused mercy, you were refusing it for yourself. Even when I killed you, you were shocked, not angry. You aren't a bad person, Asgore. You can still change.)

((Toriel... Asgore... I love you both so much. Please, come back.))

Then, there was just one more to save.

"Asriel."

"Huh? What are you doing...!?"

"Asriel. I remember when I fell. How you found me and helped me home. How you looked at me with love and acceptance. How much you loved flowers, and how much you wanted to share your happiness with me. Asriel... do you remember?"

"Wh... what did you do...?"

"Do you remember the flower I drew for you, and the macaroni flower you made for Dad?"

"What's this feeling...? What's happening to me?"

"Asriel... do you remember what it was like when we were together?"

"No! NO! I don't need ANYONE!" They dodged as Asriel desperately flung more rainbow-tailed comets.

"Do you remember how proud you were when Dad gave you your first real garden knife?"

"STOP. IT! Get away from me!"

"Do you remember the first time Mom made cinnamon-butterscotch pie so that we could both have our favorites, and how much Dad loved it? How he insisted Mom keep the recipe?"

"Do you hear me!? I'll tear you apart!"

"Do you remember the locket you gave me for my first birthday with you?"

"..."

"Do you remember what that locket said?"

"... Chara... Do you know why I'm doing this...? Why I keep fighting to keep you around...?"

((Yes, Asriel. I understand.))

"I'm doing this... Because you're special, Chara. You're the only one that understands me. You're the only one who's any fun to play with anymore."

((I've hurt you, Asriel. I've hurt everyone. But I am going to make it right. I am going to bring you home.))

"No... That's not JUST it. I... I... I'm doing this because I care about you, Chara! I care about you more than anybody else!"

((And I am here because I love you, Asriel. Because I can't stand leaving you behind.))

"I'm not ready for this to end. I'm not ready for you to leave. I'm not ready to say goodbye to someone like you again..."

((I am not going to leave you, Asriel.))

"So please... STOP doing this..."

((I love you too much to stop, Asriel.))

"AND JUST LET ME WIN!"

((Asriel... this is the only way for you - for everyone - to win.))

The blast of light streamed from Asriel's hands, striking them.

"STOP IT!"

((Asriel...)) The light surrounded them. Nothing could withstand that blast.

"STOP IT NOW!"

((I love you too much to ever give up.))

The light could not stop them.

"..."

"Asriel... I love you."

"Chara..."

"Please, Asriel... come back."

"I'm so alone, Chara..."

"I will not leave you, Asriel."

"I'm so afraid, Chara..."

"I will always love you, Asriel."

"Chara, I..."

"Asriel... let's go home."

"I..."

The void flared white, and the world returned. Asriel reappeared in his true, child's body.

"I'm so sorry." Asriel sniffled. "I know. I always was a crybaby, wasn't I, Chara?" He looked up. "I know. You're not Chara, are you? Chara's been gone for a long time." Asriel's forehead and nose wrinkled. "But... what you were saying, before..."

(Frisk, please!-)

Frisk swallowed. "Asriel... my name is Frisk. This... isn't the first time I've been here. This isn't the first time this has happened. I've... I've been doing this for a long time. I've talked with you more times than I can remember. But... this time... there's someone else who you should talk to."

Asriel's eyes were wide. "What? Who?"

Frisk took a deep breath. His right hand wiped his eyes. Then he looked at Asriel and smiled. "Asriel... it's me, Chara. Frisk found me, Asriel."

Asriel stared. Then he shook his head. "No. No, Chara died. We died together, and then I came back as a flower, and-"

Chara stepped forward. "Asriel. Do you remember when we were playing Humans and Monsters, and we both wanted to play the monsters, and drew ourselves as heroes who would defeat the humans?"

Asriel looked back, eyes full of disbelief, but nodded. "Y-yeah. I was going to be a magician-"

"And I was going to be a knight."

"Chara... it's really you?"

"It's me, Asriel." Chara began crying. "Asriel, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry I came up with that plan, I'm sorry I got you killed, I'm sorry-"

Asriel ran forward, grabbing Chara and crying himself. "I'm sorry I got us killed, I'm sorry I tried to kill you, to kill everyone, I'm sorry, I-"

Both brothers stopped talking, and sobbed on each other's shoulders. Then Asriel pulled back, a smile wobbling on his face.

"I-I thought you always said big boys didn't cry."

"Well, I was wrong. About that, and a lot of other things."

"Chara... what happened?"

"Frisk found me. Part of my soul stayed with my body after we died, and when Frisk fell into the underground, he-well, he fell onto my grave."

"Really?"

"Really. Um... do you want to tell Asriel, Frisk?"

(No, it's okay. You two should talk, you've waited too long already.)

(Okay. Thanks.)

"So... you're talking to Frisk?"

"Uh huh. He's awesome. He's been trying to find a way to help you stay yourself after you break the barrier for ages, and-"

"Um, Chara? I was going to break the barrier, but how did you know?"

"Frisk told me. Asriel, when he said that he'd done all of this before... he meant it. He's been resetting the timeline, doing this over and over. He's done this so many times that he already knows what's going to happen."

"I... know the feeling. Does that mean we've said all of this before?"

"No. This time is different. This is the first time I've talked to you, and..."

"Chara?"

"Asriel... Frisk didn't just find me. He... he helped me to change. Before that... Asriel, I made Frisk do horrible things to find me. He died over and over again doing it. Then, after he did find me..." Chara bent his head, sobbing.

"Chara? Chara, what is it?" Asriel bent over him anxiously. "What's wrong?"

"Asriel... I know about what you did as a flower. I-I was worse."

"Chara-"

"He wanted me to give you my soul, Asriel. He had tried to give you his, but you wouldn't take it. He found out I was still there, and- Asriel, I hated everything, I wanted to destroy the world, and I tried to make Frisk do it! He stopped me, and brought me to you, but I was still horrible, he couldn't do that to you-I made him give up, Asriel, I hurt him so much-"

"But, Chara, you're here now."

"Thanks to Frisk." Chara blew his nose on his sleeve, then smiled at Asriel through his tears. "I know I used to call you an idiot a lot, but I'm the real idiot. I made Frisk give me his soul, but he still hurt from everything I'd made him do. He felt everything he'd done as though it happened to him, and it woke up my feelings again. It hurt so much at first that I thought he was trying to kill me, and I gave his soul back."

"It was that bad?"

"Asriel... I made him kill everyone in the underground he could find. He felt every death like it was his own. And... the first time, he wouldn't kill you, and I made him start again." Chara bent his head, fresh tears raining down.

"Chara... what I did as a flower was... pretty bad, too."

"I tried to destroy the world, Asriel. Not just to start again, do everything over, but to make everything stop existing. I tried taking Frisk's soul so I could use him to do it, but... he had too much determination. I couldn't kill him. The only thing that made him give up after he'd brought me to you was when he realized he couldn't ask you to take my soul, the way I still was then. When he thought he'd failed you."

"He... cared about me that much?"

"Frisk loves everyone. I felt it when I had his soul. He hurt so much because he loved everyone he had hurt, and he felt their pain like his own. He couldn't bear to leave you, Asriel. He couldn't even bear to leave me, once I started to feel again."

"What did happen, Chara? You weren't like this before. You were... um..."

"I was a jerk."

"You cared about me."

"But no one else. Asriel... I never even cared about Mom and Dad. They loved me as much as they loved you, and I never felt it. I even laughed about hurting Dad with that pie. I wasn't a good person. And then, what I made you do, what I insisted on..."

"I wanted to fulfill the prophecy, and you figured out how. If I'd done it-"

"I wanted to hurt the village because some of the people there had hurt me. If you'd done what I asked, the monsters would have been at war with the humans again. It would have been terrible. You did the right thing. You were stronger than I was, and I'm glad you were."

"Even... even after I got us both killed?"

"That was my fault. I forced you into taking my soul by killing myself, and I got the villagers to attack us by carrying my body back with us. That's why I was talking about seeing the flowers again. I didn't know I'd still be there with you, and I wanted you to take my body back and frighten them. If Frisk and I had been able to go back to before I killed myself and stop that from happening, we would have."

"Chara... What do we do now? You're back, but after I break the barrier, I have to put everyone's souls back. I can't keep them, Chara. And after that, I'll have no soul. I'll-I'll go back to being a flower."

"Asriel... we found a way to bring your soul back."

"...What?"

"Will you trust me one more time, Asriel? Even after what happened last time?"

"Chara... what do you want me to do?"

"The first thing... you know how Dr. Alphys injected that flower with determination and brought you back?"

"I-not really. I just remember waking up in the garden."

"Okay. Dr. Alphys-the dinosaur scientist-figured out how to extract determination from the human souls Asgore captured. She asked for monsters who were dying to be sent to the lab, and she injected them with determination. She did the same thing to your flower, the one coated with your dust. That's how you came back. But the monsters couldn't handle that much determination, and their bodies fused and amalgamated. Asriel... when you put everyone's souls back, can you separate the amalgamates and give them their own bodies back?"

"I... think so. I can feel them inside of me, and I can feel their separate souls... yeah, I can do it."

"Okay. The second thing is... can you bring my body back to life? It's buried at the Ruins, under a bunch of yellow flowers."

"Um... yeah. But what then?"

"The last thing, after the barrier's broken, is that we meet you in the Ruins. I give you your soul back, and you take my soul from Frisk. After that, you put my soul back in my body."

Asriel's eyes widened. "You mean... you mean, you'll be back in your own body, alive again?"

"That's the plan. And you'll have your body and your soul back."

"Chara, that's awesome!"

"Will you do it?"

"Are you kidding?! Of course!" Asriel jumped up. "Are you ready?"

"Ready when you are."

"Okay. I'll bring your body back first." Asriel concentrated a moment, then nodded. "Okay, done."

"Just like that?"

"Yep."

"Cool."

"Next, the barrier. And I'll make sure to give everyone their own bodies again when I return their souls." Asriel spread his arms. The souls within him, human and monster, spiraled out around him, a whirlpool with Asriel at its heart. There was a blinding flash of light as the souls pulsed, and the barrier cracked with a noise like thunder. There was another flash, and the souls vanished. "And... now that's done." Asriel shivered. "Chara... I feel empty. I can still remember what I felt when I had the souls inside of me, but..."

"I know, Asriel." Frisk stepped forward and hugged him. "I felt like that when Chara had my soul, before he gave it back."

"Frisk?"

"Yeah, it's me. Don't worry. We'll meet you at the Ruins, and we'll give you your soul again."

"You went through a lot for me, huh?"

"Asriel... you needed help. I wasn't going to leave you."

"Frisk... I could feel how much everyone loved you and Chara. Is that... how you feel about me?"

"It is, Asriel. I can feel what Frisk feels, the way we did when we shared your body. He feels that love for everyone. He loves you, Asriel. We both do. We won't leave you behind, no matter what."

"Chara... I'll be at the Ruins. You'll be there soon, right?"

"I'll come as fast as I can."

"Okay. See you soon."

"See you soon, Asriel."

x******x  
They woke up, as Frisk had before, surrounded by friends. Toriel explained that no one remembered what had happened, but that the barrier was gone. She invited him to go and see all of the friends he had made on his journey before returning to them to cross into the outside world.

Frisk walked off, with a glance and a wink from Sans. He hurried back towards the Ruins. Towards Asriel. Towards the final ending.

x*******x  
"y'know... i think i left my refrigerator running. i'd better go and catch it."

"SANS! WHEN WILL YOU STOP MAKING HORRIBLE PUNS?!"

"when you stop smiling at them."

"Perhaps when you catch your refrigerator, you should turn down its temperature so it will 'chill out.'"

"HOW CAN SUCH A WONDERFUL DAY BE SO PAINFUL?"


	11. Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10

They rushed forward, panting, as they saw the open door from the Ruins. "hey, take it easy." Sans stepped out from behind a bush. "you almost beat me here."

"I... I just want to get to Asriel, Sans. I want to see him again."

"i want to see him too, but slow down a bit. it would be pretty dumb to fall and sprain something when you're so close, right?"

They took a deep breath. "Yeah, you're right. I'm ready to keep going now though. Are you coming with us, Sans?"

"why not? i haven't been here in a long, long time. might as well go with you and have a look."

They walked together through Toriel's house and into the Ruins. They told Sans how to avoid the pitfalls, but he just winked and took them on a "shortcut" to the other side. They passed over the spike maze, and crossed the patch of grass where they had first met Asriel as a flower.

They found Asriel kneeling next to Chara's body on the bed of golden flowers where Frisk had fallen. The body was wearing a green and yellow striped shirt and looked as though it were asleep, breathing deeply and regularly.

Asriel looked up. "Frisk, Chara! Who's with you?"

"This is Sans, Asriel. He helped us out along the way."

"hi, asriel. glad to meet you."

"Howdy, Sans." Asriel looked at Sans anxiously as his eyesocket started glowing blue. "Um... is that normal?"

"don't mind me. just takin' a closer look."

"It's okay, Asriel." Frisk stepped towards him. "We just asked him to keep an eye on things while we swap souls."

"Okay." Asriel said, turning to Frisk. "So... now what?"

"Like we planned. I give you back your soul, then you take Chara's soul and put it back in his body."

"O-okay..." Asriel took a deep breath. "Are you ready?"

"Yes. Your soul first." Frisk concentrated, and a glowing heart the color of ivory appeared between them. Asriel reached out, hands trembling, and took it. He brought it to his chest, and gasped as it vanished into him.

"Asriel?"

"I-I have a soul again. I can feel again. Thank you... thank you thank you thank you-" He jumped forward, hugging Frisk, still chanting "Thank you." They stood together for a moment; then Asriel stepped back. "Now it's Chara's turn, right?"

"I-just a second." (Chara? Are you ready to do this?)

(Yes. Frisk... I'm going to miss you.)

(Hey, it's not like you're going anywhere.)

(You know what I mean. Talking to each other like this. Feeling what the other feels.)

(...Yeah. I know.)

(Frisk... thank you for bringing me back. For helping me to change.)

(Thanks for coming back, Chara. And for choosing to change.)

(See you soon, Frisk.)

(See you soon, Chara.)

x*******x

Sans watched as Asriel regained his soul and embraced Frisk, thanking him (looks good so far... wait.) The blue glow in his eye brightened as Frisk parted with Chara, and held out Chara's red-glowing half-heart of a soul to Asriel. (what's that in there with him?) His eye widened and blazed. (No. NO!)

"FRISK! GET AWAY FROM ASRIEL!"

Asriel had already reached out and taken Chara's soul, and was smiling as his right hand held up a ball of fire. Sans wrapped Frisk in his magic and pulled him back, but Asriel was already bringing his right arm forward-

Only for it to jerk to the side, flinging the fireball to the floor.

"Sans?!" Frisk looked at Sans in shock as he was released and dropped to the ground, and Sans faced Asriel, eye flaming.

"I made another mistake."

"Sans, what's wrong with Asriel?!"

"i thought what was left of chara's soul died with asriel's when he turned to dust. it didn't. it was just asleep. and when asriel got his soul back, the old chara woke up again."

Asriel faced them, grinning. He formed a swarm of fireballs and flung them forward, but they passed well over their heads and the wall of bones that Sans had brought up to block them. He grimaced.

"but it looks like asriel's not playing along with him."

x******x  
Finally, after all this time, he was awake again. And this time he would succeed. This time he would finish things, and nothing would stand in his way. He called up another fireball, massive, too large to be dodged, and-

(No.)

His hand jerked and the fireball flew into the ceiling, knocking loose a shower of rocks and soil. He hissed in frustration. What was interfering with him? Not Asriel, he'd made sure to take control firmly this time.

His hands rose, and he formed more fireballs, a net weaving around him. He swept his arms forward-

(I will not hurt Frisk. I will not hurt Sans.)

The fireballs vanished.

His eyes widened. The other piece of him. The one he had taken from that boy.

(You! You're the one stopping me!)

(Yes. It's time to quit being an idiot.)

(It's time to quit being a pathetic weakling!) His soul split as he flung his weaker part away from him. He grinned as he turned back to the skeleton and the human. Now he could get on with it. He called forth more fire-but none came.

(I am not going to let you hurt them.)

He turned his focus inwards. The weaker piece of his soul looked like he did, a boy in a yellow and green striped shirt, with an expression of determination on his face. (Then I'll just have to get rid of you first.) His soul changed shape, swelling into an enormous knight in black armor. He raised a two-handed sword, edges burning with flame, and charged.

x******x  
Frisk watched as Asriel dropped and started twitching. "Sans? What's going on?"

"it... looks like a piece of chara's soul just split off of asriel's soul. and now they're fighting."

"Is there anything we can do?"

"nope. just wait and hope asriel and our chara win."

x******x  
Chara shivered as the knight charged at him. Fear tried to paralyze him, but he overcame it and rolled to the side. The knight followed up the overhand chop with a sweep, but Chara ducked and scrambled back as the knight advanced. (You know, I really was an idiot. I never thought my plans through to the very end.)

The knight's two-handed sword changed to a bladed mace. It swung at Chara, but he dodged each swing, the mace whistling past his head as he rolled away from the last swipe. (Killing people for souls to break the barrier, for instance. The monsters would have ended up at war with humans again.)

(That was the point, idiot.) The knight changed weapons again, this time to a long sword, slashing at Chara.

(Really?) Chara danced back and to the side as the sword swished by, cutting his shirt. (Because I wanted to break the barrier make Asriel happy. I wanted revenge, but I came up with the plan in the first place because I saw how much Asriel wanted everyone to be free to leave the Underground. Seeing the war start again, being responsible for that... it would have killed him.)

The knight's sword trembled for an instant, and was still again. (The villagers deserved to die for what they did to us. To Asriel.)

(For trying to stop what they thought was a killer? For attacking something stronger than them to defend their village? I remember the people who killed Asriel and me. They weren't the ones who took kids from the orphanage and brought them back again when they were too weak to work. Those were the people looking out from their windows or running away. The ones attacking us were yelling at their own kids to get to safety. They were trying to protect them.)

The knight's sword swung wide, missing Chara, and he snarled. (The humans shut us down here! They imprisoned everyone!)

(They were afraid. What they did was wrong. But the villagers didn't do that. They didn't deserve to die for it. And the monsters had forgiven humans. If they hadn't, they would have killed me when I first fell. They would have taught Asriel to hate me before he ever found me.)

The knight stood, shuddering.

(Asriel... you were right.)

The knight lurched towards Chara.

(If I hadn't brought my body to the village, I don't know what would have happened. But at least there would have been a chance for peace. My plan was to kill people, and that would have meant another war. More dead humans, more dead monsters.)

The knight raised his sword.

(You stopped me, Asriel. You saved everyone. And you never blamed me, even though it was my fault.)

The knight rocked, sword poised over Chara.

(Asriel... thank you.)

The knight flung his sword away.

(Chara... Chara, I'm sorry, I-)

(NO!) The knight dissolved as a white heart shot away from the shape of a boy with a knife, shifting in flight to the shape of Asriel. (I'm not going to let you stop me again, Asriel!) The boy charged towards Asriel's fallen form, raising the knife. (I'll kill you, and you'll never get in my way again!) The knife flashed down.

(LIKE HELL!)

The knife stabbed home... into Chara.

(No! Chara!) Asriel looked up at the two boys, one with a knife and eyes glaring with hatred, the other standing between them facing him, bleeding from a stab wound in his back.

(Asriel. You make sure that we don't hurt anyone else. I'll make sure that I don't hurt you.)

(But, Chara-)

(I will not let myself hurt you again, Asriel. I promise.)

(O-okay...)

The boy with the knife smiled. (You shouldn't make promises you can't keep.) He raised his hand, and a line of knives shot towards Asriel.

(I haven't.) Chara stepped in front of the silver stream.

x******x  
Asriel shook, convulsing.

"Sans, what's happening now?"

"our chara was fighting asriel and the old chara, but then the old chara split away from asriel's soul. he's trying to kill asriel now. our chara is stopping him."

"How?"

"by getting in front of everything that would hurt asriel. i don't know how he can keep it up."

Frisk stared at Asriel, and then his eyes widened. "He's doing what I did."

"what?"

"Chara tried to kill me when we first met, but I was too determined to save Asriel. Chara loves Asriel-that's what's giving him the determination to keep going."

"looks like he needs it." Sans shook his head. "he's taking a beating. and if he can't find a way to stop his old self, it's gonna be a stalemate."

x******x  
Knives came from every side, seeking Asriel. Chara caught all of them - in his body, his hands, his arms, his legs. His clothes were cut to rags. His soul ached. But he refused to die.

"You know, this isn't getting us anywhere," Chara said to Chara. "I'm not going to let Asriel get hurt, and I'm not going to stop."

"You'll run down eventually." The knives kept flying, coming from both sides at once.

"I don't think so." Chara placed his back to one set of knives, shielding Asriel, while catching those from the other side with his hands and arms. Fresh blood dripped down his hands and back. "And really, the plan to destroy the world was even worse than the one to destroy the barrier."

"How?" A ring of knives appeared around Chara and Asriel. "I would have taken the humans' souls, then the monsters' souls. I would have been a god, with the power to destroy the entire world."

"Uh huh. Just one problem." Chara pulled Asriel behind him as he broke through the ring, catching any knife that threatened Asriel in his own body. "I would have ended up in Hell."

The knife-wielding Chara laughed. "Hell? Really?"

The bleeding Chara shrugged. "Something close enough to count." He stepped towards his doppelganger. "Why don't we talk about this? Fighting isn't getting us anywhere. Even if you killed Asriel, I'm not going to let you do anything with his body. The only way for either of us to win is to come to an understanding."

"Hmm..." The knife-carrying boy considered. "Agreed." The knives around them vanished. "So, you claim that destroying everything would end with us in Hell. How, exactly, does a god end up in Hell?"

"I started thinking about it after remembering what Asriel said as Flowey, about resetting the timeline over and over. Trying everything he could think of until there was nothing left."

"But his power was limited. With the power of a god-"

"We'd still be limited by what we could think of. And that wouldn't last long enough. I'm talking about eternity, endless time. Exhausting our imagination, using up all possibilities of anything new. Having seen everything, done everything, experienced everything. Having nothing left to care about. In the end, everything would be meaningless. And there would be no way out. We would be eternally bored, eternally alone. Forever."

The smirk on the knife-wielding Chara's face changed to a thoughtful expression. He looked at the bloodstained Chara in his tattered clothes. "I... agree that, given enough time, all possibilities would be exhausted, and that that outcome is... unappealing. But the alternative is giving up godlike power and eternal life for a life limited in power and duration. Is it really worth it?"

"It is. It's better to have one lifetime with meaning than an eternity with none."

"And what would give our life meaning?"

"Other people. Caring about them, and them about us."

"Love? Oh, please! How many times did we hear people lie about that at the orphanage? How many other kids fell for it, and what happened to them? Brought back when they were too hurt to work, the ones who came back at all."

"And why did they fall for it?"

"Because they were idiots!"

"Because they wanted it to be true so badly. Because they wanted love, needed love, enough to take a chance."

"And so they got taken advantage of. That's what love is for, getting idiots like Asriel to do what you want!"

"Do you remember why we made the knight?"

"Sure. We were playing Humans and Monsters with Asriel. Why?"

"Do you remember why we wanted to be a KNIGHT, though?"

"To kill the humans, what else?"

"I must have forgotten." Chara walked towards his old self. "I wanted to be a knight so I could defend people. So I could protect Asriel. So no one I loved would be hurt again."

"What do you mean, again?"

"Another lost memory. The first memory I got back. The reason why I climbed Mount Ebott."

Chara's knife-hand twitched. "Stop that. I don't want to remember that."

"You need to, for the same reason I did. Do you remember why we climbed a mountain no one returns from?"

"Stop it." A trembling hand rose, summoning a flight of knives. Chara kept walking towards them.

"Do you remember the pain that drove us to the mountain?"

"STOP IT!" The knives flew at Chara, stabbing him. He rocked, then kept walking forward.

"But it's what came before the pain that really mattered. Do you remember that?"

"NO! I DON'T WANT TO!" Both hands flung knives at Chara. He walked through a silver blizzard, shielding his face with his arms.

"Do you remember our kitten? How much we loved her?"

"SHUT UP! STOP TALKING! STOP IT!"

Chara was in the center of a tornado of blades. "I remember. I remember Sasha sleeping with us. How she looked at us. How she would never hurt anyone, even when she was killed." He kept walking, coming closer to the screaming boy throwing knives. "I remember when we saw Asriel for the first time. How he looked at us like Sasha did. How he loved us."

"Please... please, stop..." The knives clattered against each other, out of control. A sharp silver rain fell around Chara as he neared himself.

"I remember how much it hurt to lose Asriel. To fail to protect him. I remember when I stopped feeling, when I couldn't stand the pain any longer."

The boy dropped his knife and fell to his knees, trying desperately to hold back his tears. Chara embraced him, pulling him close. "No one here will hurt us. No one here will think we're weak. It's safe to cry."

Chara held himself as he wept on his own shoulder. "I just... I just don't want to hurt any more."

"I know. I know. But not feeling anything isn't the same as not hurting. And... being able to feel love is worth the pain. I know it is. I've seen both sides, now."

"I... I can't go back. I've hurt too many people. I've hurt everyone. They'll never forgive me."

"Frisk forgave me."

"But what about everyone else? I can't-"

"I forgive you." A tear-stained face looked up. "A-Asriel?"

"I still love you, Chara." Asriel bent down and hugged both of them. "Whatever else you did, I know you loved me. You wanted me to be happy. You were the one who talked Dad into giving me a garden knife. When you told me not to trust people too much, to not cry, you were trying to keep me safe, right? To not be hurt the way you were. And when I wanted to fulfill the prophecy and break the barrier, you gave me your soul so I could do it."

"And I got you killed, and then I blamed you for it! I don't deserve to be forgiven."

"I don't care, Chara. I love you. Please... please, don't hate yourself." Asriel's face ran with tears, dropping onto their backs.

"Can... can I really change?"

"You're me, Chara. We're the same person. The only difference is that Frisk and everyone else helped me to change, to start caring for people and to stop hating everything. We can change, Chara. We already have."

"You... won't hate me?"

"That would mean hating myself. I did, once. But... I don't any more. I regret what I did. I wish I could change it. But I can't change that past. All I can change is who I am now."

"Chara...I'm ready."

"I know, Chara. I am, too."

A glow covered the embracing figures as the two pieces of Chara's soul came together. For a moment Asriel saw the transparent outline of a kneeling armored knight. Then Chara looked up and gave him a watery-eyed smile.

"Sorry your brother's such an idiot, Asriel."

"Chara..." Asriel pulled him to his feet and hugged him. "You were awesome."

Chara returned Asriel's hug, but pulled his head back after a moment. "You know... we should let Frisk and Sans know that it's okay now."

"Oh, right!"

x******x  
Asriel's body had stopped shaking. He blinked, moved his arms and legs, then looked towards Sans and Frisk. "It's okay, guys. Chara says he's sorry he was still being an idiot. He's better now."

"yeah." Sans nodded. "i saw some of what was going on. tell chara i'll give him a once-over when he's back in his own body. it's easier when there's just one soul to check on. but he's looking a lot better now than earlier."

"So they're okay?" Frisk asked.

"looks that way. i'm pretty sure they are. but i'm not gonna take any chances."

They watched as Asriel took Chara's red soul, now a complete heart, from his chest and placed it onto Chara's body. The soul sank into Chara's chest, and he opened his eyes. He took several breaths, moved his arms and legs, worked his hands, and looked up.

"Hi Frisk. Hi Sans. I'm sorry I was an idiot."

"Chara, are you-"

"hold it, frisk." Sans held him back with an arm. "i need to check first."

Chara nodded. "Right. I'd feel better if you checked, too. I think I'm okay though."

Sans looked at Chara's soul. No LOVE. No darkness. But... "chara, your soul looks like one of undyne's training dummies when it's ready to be replaced."

"I'm not surprised." Chara put on a crooked grin. "I wasn't very nice to myself."

"here, let me help you up." Sans reached out a hand.

"Uh huh." Chara reached up and took Sans' hand, and got to his feet. "No whoopee cushion?"

"it's no fun if you do it every time."

"Gotta make it a surprise, right?"

"exactly." Sans turned his eye on Asriel. "and... looks like you're okay, too. soul looks like new."

"Chara... he didn't let me get hurt, Sans."

"yeah, i saw. i wasn't sure he was gonna make it."

"I said I wasn't going to hurt Asriel again, Sans."

"yeah. you did good, chara." Sans reached out to slap Chara on the back.

"Thanks, Sans. I-"

PHPHBBRRRRTTTTTT

Chara gave Sans a wide-eyed look, and saw his grin. Then he bent over, laughing, as Frisk and Asriel joined in. "Oh..." Chara gasped for breath. "Sans, you really are a stinker!" Frisk and Asriel toppled and started rolling on the yellow flowers, laughing helplessly. "hey, these are guaranteed odorless! now i could start boning up on my physical gags and put in some stink powder, but-" Chara fell to his knees, then joined Frisk and Asriel. Sans watched, smiling, as the three boys put their arms around each other, laughing until they were spent.

"guys? i hate to be a drag, but-" Frisk's cell phone buzzed. "i think everyone's wondering where we are."

Frisk pulled his cell phone out and winced. "I've got ten texts and a voice message from Toriel, and more from Alphys and Papyrus."

"we should get back."

"Yeah." Frisk sat up and sighed. "There's just one thing left to do before this is over."

"What's that?" Asriel sat up, looking at them, and Chara straightened as well.

"Frisk is right." Chara's jaw clenched for a moment. "We need to tell everyone our story."


	12. Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11

Asriel's eyes widened, and his breath caught. "Do... do we have to tell everyone everything that's happened?"

"We have to," Frisk said. "Everyone will want to know why you and Chara are back, and how. We can't keep it a secret; I saw what that did to Alphys, and this is bigger than her secrets were. Besides..." He smiled sadly. "I can't think of a lie that would work anyway."

Chara shrugged. "We could try lying, but like Frisk said, there's no way we could keep it up. And if we did try, after everyone found out, they'd always wonder if we were lying about something else." He sighed. "We need to tell them now. To tell them everything. It'll hurt, but it's the best plan."

"Chara... Frisk..." Asriel said, shaking his head. "I don't know if I can do this. I might be able to once, but... telling people over and over..."

"hey." They looked up at Sans. "i've got an idea. you guys talk things over for a while. go to toriel's house, i saw some pie left when we were coming through. i'll go set things up and come get you when everything's ready."

"Sans?" Frisk said. "What are you going to do?"

"i'm gonna set up a press conference. that way you can each tell your story just once, to everyone."

Chara nodded. "Mettaton would love that, wouldn't he? The last, biggest news story of the underground."

"yeah, something like that. just let me take care of this one and get some rest."

"Thanks, Sans." "Thank you, Sans." "Thanks!"

"see you later." Sans turned. "Sans, wait!" Frisk held out a roll of paper. "We didn't forget about Gaster."

"didn't think you had. but when i didn't see him, i figured that it hadn't worked. and afterwards... i thought it could wait."

"We tried, Sans, but we just ended up with this drawing. And what looks like a note from you."

"okay, let's see 'em." He unrolled the papers. "it's blueprints for a machine, but..." He looked at the note. "...oh. wow." Sans started laughing. "gaster always did have a devious mind."

"Sans?"

He rolled up the blueprints again and tucked them into his jacket. "it worked, frisk. i'll need to finish later, but... this will work. i know it will." He spoke over his shoulder as he walked away. "thanks again. to all of you."

Sans smiled as he opened up a shortcut to Waterfall. (gaster... you always did love logic puzzles.)

x******x  
"Well..." Asriel looked at the others. "I guess we should head to Mom's house, then?"

"Right. Frisk and I can tell you what happened to us on the way."

"All right. How did you end up down here, Frisk?"

"Well, I was at an orphanage..."

x******x  
Clack. Clack. Clack. Sans rapped his hand at the door of the pink house in Waterfall.

"Be there in a moment, darling. Oh, Sans! To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"hi mettaton. came to ask you for help with a show. press conference, actually."

"Oh, darling, I'm flattered, but I couldn't possibly. I've just been talking with Shyren and B-Napstablook about getting together as a band, and-"

"it's for frisk."

"Oh?" Mettaton arched an eyebrow. "I thought that with the barrier down, everything was over. There's more?"

"it's the last and biggest story of the underground. it kind of is the story of the underground. listen..."

Mettaton bent as Sans stretched, whispering into his ear. His eyes widened dramatically as he listened, and he turned and stared at Sans after the skeleton finished.

"Sans. Darling. You are QUITE certain about this?"

"dead certain." Sans winked. "i was along for part of it, but i don't plan on talking. this is for frisk and the others. and, like i said-"

"It is, without a doubt, the biggest story in the underground." Mettaton nodded. "I'll go talk to Alphys. Just let me say ta-ta to Napstablook and Shyren, and I'll be on my way."

"thanks a ton, mettaton."

"Well, really, darling. Helping Frisk AND being a part of the biggest story ever-how could I say no?"

"mettaton. do me one extra favor. let them tell it their own way."

"Oh, all right. A story can always use drama, but I suppose this one will have enough of that even without my beautiful face. I'll just add commentary in the recordings."

"can't wait to watch 'em. see ya later."

"Ta-ta, Sansy."

x******x  
The three sat around Toriel's table, an empty plate covered in pie crumbs in front of each.

"...and Frisk convinced me to go through a reset with him, to see if my emotions would wake up more."

Asriel looked over at Chara. "So you could give me your soul."

"Right."

"And... you didn't mind?"

Chara leaned back, looking at the ceiling. "Well... I think I'd gotten used to the idea already. I had been more or less dead before, and then I was riding around in Frisk. I could feel everything he felt after he gave me his soul, even after I gave it back, so it was like being together with you after you took my soul the first time. We were each there, just... sharing the body." Chara leaned forward again, looking at Asriel. "Besides... I still needed to make up for what I'd done. If I'd given you my soul, and if you'd asked me to, I'd have agreed to just ride around with you in control for the rest of your life."

"What?!"

"After all I did to you... after what my plan almost caused... I thought you would be scared of me. Afraid of what I might make you-us-do."

"I..." Asriel looked at the table. "I might have been."

"And so I would have done nothing and just watched. To show you I wasn't going to hurt anyone."

"Wouldn't that have gotten boring?"

"Maybe." Chara shrugged. "Probably. But I would still have been able to talk to you, and to feel everything you did. I can think of a lot of worse things." Chara shivered. "Winning against Frisk, for instance."

"Hey," Frisk, said, leaning forward. "You've changed, remember? That isn't going to happen now."

"I know." Chara sighed. "I can't imagine going back to that. But..."

"But what?"

"But I couldn't imagine being like this then, either. And whatever happens later, I'll always remember what-who-I was. What I could have done."

"so remember why you were an idiot and make sure you don't do it again."

The three boys at the table jumped as Sans came in. "actually, you're both right. you've both-okay, all," Sans said, glancing at Asriel. "you've all given everyone a bad time. on the other hand, you've all changed."

"Except Frisk," Chara said.

"all. frisk, do you think you're the same person who fell down here, before all the resets?"

"No." Frisk shook his head, his face clouded.

"right. you haven't changed for the worse, but you have changed. you put yourself through a really bad time, twice, and that's gonna leave a mark."

Frisk gave Sans a wavering smile. "Or a few hundred, from what you said."

"yeah. anyway, if you're all ready, everything's set for you guys to tell everyone what's been going on."

"Okay. We've all finished exchanging stories, and I think we've decided on how to tell everyone what happened, right?"

Chara nodded. "Right. I'll start off with why I climbed Mount Ebott and the plan I never should have made. Asriel can tell how he became a flower-Sans, we'll need to talk to Alphys about that."

"i filled her in a bit already. didn't want her to break down in front of everyone. knowing that the amalgamates were back to normal helped a lot."

"Good. Thanks, Sans."

"hey, what are friends for?"

"Besides whoopee cushions?"

"that too." Sans' grin widened. "but you were talking about the order of your stories."

"Yeah. Anyway, Asriel talks about his time as a flower, and finding out about Saves and Resets. Then Frisk explains why he climbed Mount Ebott, and what happened afterwards with Asriel and all of his resets trying to help him." Chara took a deep breath. "Then... Frisk and I will trade off explaining how he found me, and what he did to bring me back. How we got to this timeline. How you figured out I still had a piece of Asriel's soul." He looked at Sans. "Do you want to tell that part?"

"nah. i'll just provide moral support from the audience."

"Going to sell hotdogs?"

"too much work. not the right kind of occasion, anyway."

"Good point." Chara considered a moment, then shrugged. "After that, we'll trade off on describing what happened in the final fight with Asriel, getting his soul back, and finally giving it back and curing me of idiocy."

"Hey, you should say more than that! You faced off against your old self and me and managed to save us both!" Asriel said.

"I wouldn't have needed to in the first place if I hadn't been such an idiot to begin with."

"If you're too embarrassed to talk about it, I'll tell it."

"If you really want to."

"I do. You deserve it, Chara."

"I just wanted you back. You deserved that. I've gotten everything I want already."

"guys... i really do hate to break this up, but everyone's gotta be waiting by now."

"Yeah." "Okay." "All right."

"and since we're in a hurry, i'll just show you another shortcut."

x******x  
They stepped out into the space where the barrier had been, and stared. A sea of chairs had appeared, filled with monsters of all shapes and sizes, with Toriel, Asgore, Papyrus, Undyne, and Alphys in the front center row. Facing the throng was a stage with three MTT podiums, each with a pitcher of water and drinking glass and MTT-brand tissues and microphones. Each podium had a chair behind it as well. Banks of lights illuminated the scene, and cameras stood ready to record and broadcast both stage and audience.

"Sans... we weren't gone that long, were we?" Frisk asked, wide-eyed.

"i stopped and talked to mettaton first thing." Sans said, chuckling. "i just gave him a fast description of the story and he was all over it. if there's one thing mettaton knows better than anyone else, it's television. alphys helped with the equipment, mettaton arranged with toriel and asgore for the rest."

"Dad..." Chara looked at Asgore's hunched shape. "He's going to be glad to see us... but it's going to take him a while to get over what he did."

"he made his choices. you made yours. and it's time to go and explain them." Sans led the three towards the stage, and a hush fell across the chattering monsters as they saw the approaching figures. Then, as they came to the stage, they erupted in a thundering cheer.

Sans watched the brothers take their places, and saw three faces full of fear and anxiety. (they're scared of what everyone will think when they hear the whole story. can't blame 'em. looks like they need an icebreaker.) He grabbed the microphone from Frisk's podium in the center.

"HEY. LISTEN."

Sans speaking normally was uncommon. Hearing Sans actually yell silenced the crowd almost instantly.

"Frisk, Asriel, and Chara are here to tell their story. It's ended well, but getting there took a lot of tragedy and pain. They each have things they need to confess. I'm speaking first to ask each of you to wait until their full story has been told to judge them, for good or for bad. And to remember that, whoever they have been and whatever they have done, they should be judged for who they are now." He waited a moment as the crowd settled, and then handed the microphone back to Frisk. "okay, your turn."

"Thanks, Sans." Frisk looked over at Chara's pale face. Chara looked back, nodded, and turned to face the sea of faces and camera lenses. "It started with the reason I climbed Mount Ebott..."

x******x  
"The last thing I remember before Asriel died is... hating everything. Humans and monsters." Chara looked white as a sheet. His eyes were reddened, but the MTT tissues seemed to have some type of healing magic built in, probably to prevent unattractive swelling from prolonged weeping. "Then, when Asriel crumbled, everything went dark."

"And then... I woke up." The sea of faces turned to Asriel. Most looked shocked. Some were in tears, dabbed at with the tissues under each chair. Others were tight and controlled, and a few were completely unreadable. "I was in the garden in the throne room, and-"

"U-um." A nervous voice interrupted. "I-I should explain this part." Heads swiveled to look at Alphys, who had approached the stage unnoticed as all eyes focused on the three standing on it.

"Alphys," Asriel said, leaning down and away from the microphone, "I know what happened. I can tell this. You don't have to-"

"Yes, I do!" The three boys' eyes widened at Alphys' firm tone. "You're right. It's time for the whole story to be told. Everything. No more secrets." She looked at them. "I-if you don't mind?"

Frisk reached down and pulled Alphys onto the stage. Chara put his chair behind Asriel's podium for Alphys to stand on.

"Th-thanks." Alphys faced the crowd and gave a nervous cough. "U-um... For those of you who don't know me, I'm Dr. Alphys, the Royal Scientist. I..." She trailed off, beads of sweat standing out on her scales. Three hands came down on her shoulders and back, and she closed her eyes. "Thank you..." she whispered. Then she looked up again.

"I'm here to explain my part in what has happened. I was asked by King Asgore to find another way to break the barrier, in case another human never fell into the Underground. To do this, I began investigating the human souls already captured, to find out what gave them their power. Using a machine designed by the former Royal Scientist, W. D. Gaster, I was able to extract this power, which I called determination, from the human souls. As some of you know," Alphys continued, looking across the listening faces, "I asked for any monsters who had "fallen down" to be brought to the castle. I planned to preserve their souls by injecting them with determination, until enough souls were collected to break the barrier. That... didn't work." Her face fell. She took a deep breath, then continued.

"After I injected the fallen with determination, they didn't crumble to dust. I continued using more determination, and... the fallen woke up. That was when I sent the message that they were coming home." Alphys stopped and gulped. "And then... and then, I found out what happens when a monster has too much determination for their body to contain. They... their bodies melted and joined together. Multiple monsters sharing one combined, amalgamated body between their souls." Alphys looked down. "That's when... I stopped answering questions about what was happening. I was too ashamed of what I'd done. Afraid of what everyone would think." She looked up again, tears in her eyes. "Everyone... I know that you all have your loved ones back, in their own bodies, but that's because of what these three did. I'm sure they'll explain what happened before their stories are finished, but... for now, there's one last experiment I need to tell about before they continue." Alphys wiped her eyes with a tissue.

"As part of the project, I thought I needed a vessel for the souls. Something that could contain them after their bodies crumbled to dust. So I injected a flower with determination." Alphys looked at Asriel. "I took the first flower that grew in the King's throne room. Where Asriel had died, and his dust and the flower seeds had fallen together." She looked back at the crowd. "That is how Asriel woke up, as a flower, with his memories but without his soul. Because of what I had done." She turned to Asriel. "Asriel... I'm sorry."

"It's all right, Alphys. You didn't know it would happen."

"It's still my fault."

"It wasn't anyone's fault. It was an accident. Alphys..."

"If I'd just chosen another plant, if I'd taken a flower from anywhere but the throne room-"

"Then I wouldn't be here." Asriel hugged Alphys. "Alphys, I don't blame you for what happened."

"Asriel... thank you."

They helped Alphys off of the stage, watching as she walked back to her chair between Sans and Undyne. They looked on as Alphys turned to Undyne, and as Undyne grabbed Alphys in a hug that looked like it might break the little dinosaur.

Asriel resumed his position at the podium. "Like Alphys said, she injected a flower with determination... and I woke up as that flower. I had my memories, but no soul, no emotions. I couldn't feel anything..."

x******x  
"...And after I saw Mom, and still couldn't feel anything, I didn't want to live any longer. I killed myself. But when I did, my fear of death sparked my determination to live. Instead of dying, I woke up in the throne room again, before I had called to Dad. That's how I first found out about Saving, and Resets..."

"...I used the ability to Save and Reset to do good things at first. To help people. But... I couldn't feel anything. I got... bored. And then, I started to hurt people..."

x******x  
Asriel's eyes were wet as he finished, clutching a tissue. "I don't know how many times I reset everything, or how long I would have gone on hurting everyone, if Frisk hadn't come."

Frisk took his arm from around Asriel's shoulder and moved back to his own podium, leaving Chara on Asriel's other side. He looked across the audience. "I grew up at the same orphanage that Chara did. It's different now, though..."

"...I talked to Asriel, and he told me that without a soul, he would turn back into a flower again. That he was going to stay in the Underground, where he wouldn't hurt anyone. That I should remember him as he was before he turned back, and that I should go and leave him. I couldn't accept that. I couldn't leave him soulless and alone. So I reset, and tried to find a way Asriel could stay himself..."

"...I called Chara's name, and woke him up. I asked him to come out, and he said that... that he would only come out if..."

"If Frisk killed everyone in the Underground." Frisk looked over at Chara, who had interrupted him. "When Frisk woke my soul, I woke up still hating everything, wanting everything to end. I couldn't do anything myself, but I thought I could use Frisk to kill for me." Chara looked out at the audience, then at Frisk, eyes again full of tears. "Everyone... Frisk... I'm sorry."

Frisk looked at Chara, then out at the silent monsters. "I did what Chara asked me to do. I chose to kill everyone... all of you... to bring Chara out. To find a soul for Asriel." Frisk took another tissue . "I knew I could bring you back, but... I still killed everyone." Frisk bent his head for a moment. "Finally, Chara agreed to come out. He-"

Chara interrupted again. "I forced Frisk to do it twice. The first time he refused to kill Asriel; he ran, and Frisk couldn't find him again, so he had to reset to eliminate Asriel's memories. The second time, after he had killed Asriel, I tried to kill Frisk and take his soul." He looked at Frisk and smiled through his tears. "But Frisk was too determined for me to kill him. He told me I could either go back with him, and he would show me where he got his determination, or he would kill himself, determined not to come back, and take me with him to save the rest of the world. I went."

Frisk nodded at Chara and continued. "I went through another timeline with Chara, and we met with Asriel again when he told me he was going to turn back into a flower. I was going to ask Chara to give Asriel his soul, but..."

"But I was still the same person who had tried to force Asriel to kill people," Chara said. "Frisk couldn't do that to Asriel. He... lost his determination, then. He had been focused on helping Asriel, on finding a way for him not to turn back into a flower. When he saw what that would mean, that he had hurt so many people for nothing... he... gave up. I asked Frisk to give me his soul, to keep his promise to show me where his determination came from. He hurt enough to agree." Chara looked across the sea of faces, face streaked with new tears. "Frisk told me that he had felt it every time he hurt someone. That he had died the first times he killed, until his determination grew stronger and he could endure the pain. When I took his soul, I felt every wound, every death, that he had felt. I thought that he was trying to kill me, and I gave his soul back. I only knew that he hadn't tried to kill me when he started thanking me." Chara bowed, wiping his eyes, and looked up again. "That's when I started to feel again. That's when I agreed to help him save Asriel. But I still didn't care about people. I couldn't give Asriel my soul without being afraid of hurting him again. That's when Frisk said we should reset again - that he would guide me through, and see if I could start caring for others..."

x******x  
"...So I tried to take Chara back to before he killed himself. But that would have meant that we would have no reason to go back in time, and that would have created a contradiction. Time couldn't bend like that. It snapped back instead..."

x******x

"...Sans looked at my soul, and found out I still had part of Asriel's soul combined with mine. So we came up with a plan-"

"It was your plan, Chara. You even remembered the amalgamates."

"Anyway. Frisk and I would try to restore Asriel's soul while we were fighting him..."

x******x

"...So Sans came with us to the Ruins to meet Asriel and watch while we put our souls back where they belonged. When we gave Asriel's soul back, though, it woke up the other part of my soul that had sleeping in him, the way that I had been sleeping in Frisk. Frisk was already giving my soul-me-to Asriel, but Sans managed to yank him out of the way before my old self could hurt him-"

"Because you were fighting yourself, stopping yourself from hitting them," Asriel interrupted. "Then your old self tried killing you using my soul and its combined, but you helped me break its control. Then, it tried to kill me-"

"I tried to kill you."

"No. You were the one defending me, Chara. You were the one taking every attack that your old self aimed at me. That wasn't who you were any more. Then, you managed to talk your old self into changing, into being you. You saved me and yourself, Chara."

"I just wanted to make things right."

"And you did."

"Anyway..." Chara turned back to the crowd. "After that, Asriel put my soul back in my body, Sans made sure that we were all right, and then he asked Mettaton to set up all of this." Chara took a deep breath. "So... that's our story. I just want to ask one thing of all of you." His gaze swept across the cavern. "I am the one who began all of this. I was the one who came up with the plan to kill myself, and to kill other humans for souls to break the barrier. I am the one who caused Asriel's death, and the loss of his soul, and so I am responsible for what he did as a flower. I am the one who asked Frisk to kill everyone, and who tried to destroy the world. Please..." Chara stopped, swallowing. "I understand if you can't forgive me. But please, even if you can't forgive me, please forgive Frisk and Asriel. Don't blame them for the pain that I caused." Chara started as an arm dropped around each of his shoulders. As Frisk and Asriel stood to either side, hugging him between them, Chara bent his head, tears dropping to the podium.

There was a hushed silence. Then Undyne stood and walked forwards, leaping onto the stage. "Hey. Chara. You were the one who hit me, right? You were...uh...in control of Frisk's body?"

Chara looked up through tear-filled eyes. "Yes. It was me."

"Okay. Then I think it's my turn." Undyne pulled her fist back, aiming at Chara. The audience gasped.

Chara straightened. He closed his eyes, bracing himself-and felt a tap on his nose. His eyes snapped open, and he saw Undyne grinning as she pulled her fist away from his face.

"I told you before that I could tell you didn't want to hurt me. And I still don't want to hurt you. So quit looking like you're gonna melt, huh?"

Frisk flinched. "And Frisk," Undyne said, turning to him. "You just said that you fought me, but you didn't give any details."

"Um, yes?"

"How was I?" Undyne held up a hand as Frisk started to answer, staring intently. "Be honest."

"Undyne..." Frisk looked down, then up again, smiling, even as his eyes shimmered. "You had the determination of the whole world behind you, filling you. You fought for everyone, and you were unkillable. The only reason I won is because you melted from the determination, and you kept fighting until your body couldn't hold on any longer. If your body were as strong as your determination, you would have been unstoppable. Undyne... you were a true hero. You deserved to win." Frisk's head fell, staring at the stage.

"Hah. You know, it's funny... 'cause it feels to me like I did win." Frisk looked up at an Undyne with an uncharacteristic expression of reflection. "The barrier's broken. Asriel and Chara are back. And I know I can be a real hero." Then her face broke into a wide, fierce grin. "But you'd better start training, because I'm gonna want a rematch!"

"AND I WILL HELP!" Papyrus called from the front seats.

"You need to finish your own training first!" Undyne yelled back.

"CAN WE TRAIN TOGETHER?"

"Sure, why not?!" Undyne raised a fist in the air, laughing, then lowered it as she turned to Asriel. "And Asriel... I don't know you, but you're the one who broke the barrier, right?"

"U-um... yeah."

"And fixed the monsters that got melted together?"

"Well, after Chara and Frisk asked me to."

"Good enough for me. Anyone who's a friend of Alphys' is a friend of mine. Besides, you put back everyone's souls. No bad guy would give up that kind of power willingly." She looked at all three. "I say you guys are okay. Just get ready for that rematch, Frisk." Undyne turned and leapt off the stage, going back to her seat.

"I WOULD LIKE TO ASK SOMETHING AS WELL!" Papyrus bounded to the stage, looking up at them. "FRISK. CHARA. WHICH ONE OF YOU HAVE I HUNG OUT WITH?"

"Well..." Frisk said. "That depends on whether you mean this time or before. Chara was the one who hung out with you this time; I've hung out with you before, though."

"SO I HAVE HUNG OUT WITH BOTH OF YOU. SO YOU ARE BOTH MY FRIENDS. PERFECT!" He turned to Asriel. "AND YOU ARE A FRIEND OF FRISK AND CHARA. SO WE SHOULD HANG OUT TOGETHER LATER SO WE ARE ALL FRIENDS."

"O-Okay," Asriel stammered.

"AND DO NOT WORRY ABOUT WHAT HAS HAPPENED. I AM CERTAIN THAT WITH MY HELP, YOU CAN ALL BE GREAT PEOPLE! EVEN AS GREAT AS I AM!"

Papyrus turned towards the audience. "SANS! IS THERE SOMETHING YOU WOULD LIKE TO SAY?"

Sans shrugged from his chair. "nah."

"ARE YOU SURE?"

"yep. why?"

"SANS." Papyrus voice had dropped, and was, for him, gentle. "IT IS TIME TO STOP KEEPING SECRETS."

Sans straightened slightly. "papyrus?"

"I KNOW YOU HAVE HAD NIGHTMARES, SANS. I HAVE HEARD YOU CALL OUT DURING THEM." Papyrus gazed at Sans, and looked as close as a skeleton could to not smiling. "I THINK YOU SHOULD LET EVERYONE KNOW WHAT YOU HAVE BEEN THROUGH."

Sans stared at Papyrus. "you never told me you knew."

"YOU DID NOT WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT. I DID NOT WANT HURT YOU. BUT I THINK THAT IT IS TIME TO TALK ABOUT IT NOW."

"...all right." Sans got to his feet and ambled over. Papyrus lifted him onto the stage, and Frisk handed him his microphone.

Sans faced the seated monsters. "okay. the dreams that papyrus was talking about are more like memories, or premonitions. some of you may remember my brother, w.d. gaster, who was royal scientist before alphys. i helped him work on experiments with time travel, and one of the side effects is that i notice when things are off with time. because of that, i remembered some of the timelines that frisk reset while he was trying to help asriel." There was a murmur from the crowd, and Sans held up a hand. "i didn't spread word about it because there was no point. it's kind of hard to stop a time traveler. more like impossible, really. and my memories between resets weren't complete, just bits and pieces."

"as for my nightmares, those were of a human killing everyone in the underground, then killing me when i tried to stop them. i'm still not sure where they came from, because they weren't frisk. i remember him crying his eyes out when he killed me, and apologizing for doing it." Sans shrugged. "anyway, that's it for my story."

"You tried to stop him?" Undyne said, shaking her head. "Seriously?"

Frisk leaned down to Sans. "Um... should I tell her?"

"up to you. seems to be a day for letting everything out, though."

Frisk straightened up. "Undyne?"

"Yeah?"

"Sans was the only person harder to beat than you were."

Undyne stared at Frisk, then at Sans, then back at Frisk. "You. Are. Kidding."

"No, I'm not."

"THAT LAZY BAG OF BONES WAS TOUGHER THAN ME?!"

"Not tougher. Harder to beat. He used every bit of magic he had, tried every trick he could think of, and dodged every attack I made until he was exhausted. I only managed to hit him because he went to sleep and didn't realize I was coming."

"YOU WENT TO SLEEP DURING A FIGHT?!" Undyne looked ready to explode.

"after i put him in a box so he couldn't move? yeah. using that much magic takes it out of ya. besides, i can usually feel it if someone wants to give me a bad time." Sans glanced at Frisk. "thing is, frisk was determined enough to get out of the box. and he didn't want to hurt me. he just had to to help asriel. so, yeah, he caught me napping."

"SANS. IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU NEED ENDURANCE TRAINING."

"That's right, Papyrus! And then I need a match between Sans, Frisk, and me!"

"we're gonna be kind of busy moving for a while, undyne. besides, you know i'm bone idle."

"SANS!"

"lazy to the bone."

"SANS!"

"just a-"

"SANS."

"yeah, papyrus?"

"THANK YOU FOR BEING A GREAT BROTHER. I AM SORRY I LET MYSELF BE KILLED. I KNOW THAT IT HURT YOU."

"what?"

"YOU TALKED WHEN YOU WERE HAVING NIGHTMARES. YOU SAID THAT THE HUMAN HAD KILLED ME."

Sans blinked. "you knew that... and you tried to stop him anyway?"

"I THOUGHT THAT IF I COULD TALK TO THE HUMAN AND PERSUADE HIM TO BE A GREAT PERSON, THAT HE WOULD STOP KILLING PEOPLE. THEN, WHEN HE DID NOT KILL ANYONE, I THOUGHT YOU HAD JUST BEEN HAVING BAD DREAMS." Papyrus looked down, shuffling his feet. "I AM SORRY, SANS."

There was a choking sound from the stage. "Papyrus..." Papyrus looked up at Frisk. "YES, FRISK?"

"Papyrus... you and Toriel came the closest to stopping me. Hurting you both was the hardest thing I've ever done. She loved me like her own child, and you... you never stopped saying that you believed in me, that I could be a good person, even after-even when you were crumbling." Frisk bent his head, clutching a tissue.

"FRISK. YOU BROUGHT ME BACK. YOU BROUGHT CHARA BACK. YOU BROUGHT ASRIEL BACK. IF DOING THAT MEANT YOU HAD TO KILL ME, THEN I FORGIVE YOU." Papyrus jumped onto the stage and embraced Frisk. "YOU ARE STILL MY FRIEND, FRISK." They stood for a moment before Papyrus turned and bounded back off of the stage, followed by Sans.

King Asgore had been staring at the ground since Undyne had gone to the stage. He looked up as Papyrus clattered past and stood.

"Asgore." Toriel's voice sounded from his side. "What are you doing?"

"There is something I need to say." Asgore started towards the stage, but was restrained by a hand on his robe. "Asgore..." Toriel said, her tone a warning. "Toriel," Asgore said, facing her narrowed eyes. "I have been a coward long enough. Please... let me honor them as they deserve." Toriel kept her gaze on Asgore for a moment, then released his robe. "Very well."

The murmurs of the assembled monsters stilled once more as their king approached the stage. He was tall enough that, even standing on the ground before the stage, his head was the height of the three boys' own heads. "Frisk," Asgore began, facing him. "Because of you, the barrier has been broken and my sons have been returned. You have confessed to killing us all, but we would never have known of it if you had not told us, and whatever has happened before, we are alive now. For what you have done for us, I thank you." Frisk bowed his head.

"Asriel, my beloved son. You tried to fulfill the prophecy, and have done so. You have broken the barrier, and restored those harmed by the experiments I called for to their own bodies. You tell us that you have harmed others, but we are well now, and thanks to you, we are free. For what you have done for us, I thank you."

"Dad..."

"Chara..." Asgore fell silent, and Chara bowed his head, clenching his fists. "Chara... my beloved son. Thank you for being braver than me." Chara looked up through his tears to see Asgore looking back through tears of his own. "You have been hurt as much or more than I was, but you have overcome it. You admitted to your mistakes. You took responsibility for what you have done, asking that you bear the burden of guilt instead of your brothers. You sacrificed yourself seeking to fulfill the prophecy for the sake of your brother, and with your help he has done it. Thank you for what you have done for us, and for giving me the courage to do now what I should have done a long time ago."

Asgore turned, facing the multitude. "My people, I have failed you. As your king, it is my responsibility to protect and to lead you. To protect you, to keep us safe and to act justly, not leading you to murder, I might have called for us to forgive the humans. To lead you to freedom, and to take responsibility for the guilt that would bring, I might have taken the first human soul and gone through the barrier, taking other souls so that the barrier could be broken. I did neither."

"Instead I have waited, hoping that no human would enter the underground, too fearful to either admit that I was wrong and call for an end to killing fallen humans or to take the guilt of killing upon myself alone and go out to find more souls, to take responsibility for ending our captivity by bloodshed. My cowardice has trapped us in indecision until we were freed by others. I have failed you. I am not worthy to be your king."

Asgore took a breath. "There is another, who had the strength to forgive the humans for killing her children. Who recognized what we should do, and who refused to accept my decision because she knew it was wrong." He turned to Toriel, who was staring at him. "Toriel. I ask that you become ruler of the Kingdom of Monsters, as our Queen." Asgore removed his crown and knelt, placing it on the ground in front of Toriel's chair.

There was a dead silence, as Toriel stared down at Asgore's bowed head. Then she stood, ignoring the crown, and walked to the stage before turning to face the sea of silent faces.

"I accept rulership of the Kingdom of Monsters. If any do not approve of this, I ask that they speak now and let their objections be known." The silence stretched out across the cavern. "Then, if I do have your approval-" Her words were drowned out by a thunderous roar. She waited patiently until the cries of agreement and acclaim faded away, then looked at Asgore, still kneeling by her chair. "My first order is to King Asgore. Stand up and put that crown back on."

Asgore looked up. "Tor-my Queen?"

"You still have responsibilities, Asgore, and abandoning them will not help matters," Toriel said sternly. "You said that you had been a coward long enough. The way to stop being a coward is to face your fears and to overcome them. I agree that you have made grievous errors of judgment, and so my second declaration is this. From this moment forward, all decisions of importance shall be made by you and I jointly. Neither of us shall give decrees without the knowledge and agreement of the other. Does this meet with your approval?"

"Yes, my Queen," Asgore said, standing and bowing while holding his crown. He placed it on his head. "If you will consider it, I think there is a third declaration we should make now."

"And what is that?"

"I propose that, in recognition of what he has done for all monsters and for his part in restoring our Royal Family, Frisk be adopted as our son. That, whether he remains with us or not, he shall be considered a member of our family."

Toriel looked at Asgore, then smiled. "That is indeed a good and fitting proposal. I agree. Frisk shall be a member of our family from this day forth."

"Hey, Frisk, you're our brother now!" Asriel grabbed Frisk, hugging him.

"Welcome to the family, Frisk." Chara wrapped his arms around them both.

"Our beloved sons... welcome home." Toriel and Asgore stepped onto the stage and embraced their children. The crowd came to its feet and applauded as the Royal Family stood united on the stage.

"Perfect..." Mettaton whispered, dabbing at his eyes with one of his tissues as he watched. "Danger, redemption, plot twists, love, tears, and a happy ending... This will make such a wonderful documentary when I'm done with it."


	13. Chapter 12

CHAPTER TWELVE

Queen Toriel and King Asgore had brought an end to the press conference, saying that their sons needed rest and calling for the monsters to prepare to leave the underground. Their announcement had been accepted willingly, and the monsters had departed to begin packing and preparing to leave. Papyrus had been asked to accept messages from monsters congratulating the brothers; he looked like a moving snowbank, and the stage was drifted over with letters.

"There's still something I need to take care of," Frisk said, turning to Toriel. "I need to let the Feldmans know I'm all right."

"Do you know their phone number?" Chara said.

"Yeah. But it's been days. They must be worried by now."

"Is there a place where we might meet them?" Toriel asked.

"The land near the mountain is a national forest. There's a parking lot and picnic area near the mountain's base."

"Very good. If you will call them, Frisk, I will walk there with you."

"Can we come too?" Asriel said.

"Do both of you wish to come?"

"Yes, very much." "Please!"

"All right. If you will call, Frisk?"

Frisk dialed. "Hello? Mrs. Feldman? It's Frisk, I- Yes, I'm all right, I- I know, I'm sorry, I meant to be back before now, but- It's all right, I'm all right, I-" Frisk's face began to tear up. "I'm sorry, I just-"

Toriel reached out to Frisk, who handed her the phone and wiped his eyes. "Hello? Mrs. Feldman? My name is Toriel. Frisk has been with us for the past few days. Yes, I promise you that he is perfectly well. Our cell phone reception has been blocked previously; that is why he has not called you before. Frisk has told us that there is a park at the bottom of the mountain; would it be convenient for you to meet us there? He will help us find it. No, I am not familiar with it; it has... been some time since we were out. I think it will be easier to explain when we meet. Do you mind if I bring my own children with me? Thank you. We will see you soon." She hung up and handed the phone back to Frisk. "I think that we should leave now; she sounded very anxious to see you."

Toriel turned to Asgore. "Asgore, please make sure that preparation continues but that no one leaves the Underground until we have met with the humans to reassure them of our intentions."

Asgore bowed. "Yes, my Queen."

"Stop that, Asgore. I am Toriel, as you are Asgore. You should save the formal addresses for proper occasions."

"Yes, m-yes, Toriel."

"Now, let us go. Be careful that you do not slip and fall."

"Yes, T-Mom." "Okay, Mom." "We will, Mom."

x******x

Mrs. Feldman turned her silver minivan onto the Mount Ebott National Park Scenic Campground. She should have guessed Frisk would do something like this after it came down to him or Shelly being adopted; he always was the self-sacrificing kind. But he had never done anything they had asked him not to before, and to climb Mount Ebott-she hadn't considered him so foolish. Still, he had been right to think it was one place where they wouldn't look for him. At least he was all right, but who on earth had he found up there on the mountain? No one lived there, and with the local folklore saying no one who climbed the mountain ever came back...

She came to the parking lot for the picnic area. There was someone in what looked like a white fur costume with horns and a long robe sitting on a bench, watching two children and another white-costumed child lying together on the grass under a tree. She recognized one of the boys as Frisk, but the other... She gasped.

"It can't be..." She had read the story of the creature which had attacked the village, killing a local child, and been beaten off, but that had been many years ago. But the striped shirt was the same style as their orphanage's, and the sketch that the newspaper had featured... It looked like the same boy. But that was impossible.

The group had heard her drive in, and the boys and the costumed child stood and grouped themselves by the person on the bench. The person stood, and the group walked to the edge of the parking lot. Mrs. Feldman took a deep breath, gathered her nerves, and walked from her car towards them. She stood an inch under six feet tall, with green eyes, a tight bun of steel gray hair, comfortable walking shoes, pants and a long-sleeved blouse.

"Mrs. Feldman?" It was the same voice that she had heard on the phone, soft, warm and pleasant. The person in the costume-no, it wasn't a costume. It really had horns and white fur, and so did the child with the two boys. "I am Toriel. I spoke to you on the phone earlier."

"U-um... yes. Thank you for taking care of Frisk." The white-furred child giggled.

Toriel looked down at the child sternly, then back to Mrs. Feldman. "Frisk has been a wonderful friend to my sons. We have been glad to have him with us."

She smiled as her fear and anxiety eased. Whoever this person was, she was clearly fond of Frisk, which was a good sign. "Frisk is a darling child, at least usually. I must say I was disappointed in his decision to run away, but at least things have turned out all right."

Toriel smiled back, a pair of fangs showing. "Yes. He fell into the mountain, but fortunately did not injure himself. We found him there."

"You-found him in the mountain?" Mrs. Feldman blinked. "I-may I ask where you live?"

"Um." Frisk said. "That's kind of a long story. Maybe we should sit down?"

Mrs. Feldman glanced at him in surprise, then at Toriel as she nodded. "If you would like a fuller explanation, Mrs. Feldman, it will take some time. I will be glad to tell you, but the children are still tired after their walk."

"Of course." They walked to one of the picnic tables, sitting down across from each other, as the children returned to resting under one of the trees together. Mrs. Feldman studied Toriel's robe as they sat. It looked quite formal, with an intricate pattern across the front, almost like a coat of arms. "You have a beautifully decorated robe."

"Thank you. The decoration is our family crest."

Mrs. Feldman blinked again. "I... see." She didn't. This entire experience was surreal. "You were saying that you live on the mountain? I thought no one lived there."

Toriel looked at Mrs. Feldman and sighed. "This is going to be difficult to explain, and perhaps more difficult to accept. Do your people still have any stories of monsters being sealed under Mount Ebott?"

Mrs. Feldman stared back at Toriel. Then she took a deep breath, closing her eyes and considering. "There are a few pieces of local folklore and legends about a war between humans and monsters, claiming that the monsters were sealed away with a magic spell. There are no dates or events given, and no trace of anything described in the stories has ever been found. Everyone considers the stories to be fiction, fables and myths." She opened her eyes, gazing at Toriel intently. "I take it that there is some truth to the stories, then?"

"Yes." Toriel closed her own eyes for a moment, before looking back at Mrs. Feldman. "We are the monsters who were sealed under the mountain. Humans feared us, and there was a war between humans and monsters. The humans defeated us, but did not kill our survivors. Instead they sealed us behind a magical barrier, trapping us in caverns beneath Mount Ebott. The barrier allowed entry from outside, but no one could escape."

"But... you are here now."

"The barrier was destroyed earlier today. Frisk's actions played a large part in how the barrier was broken."

Mrs. Feldman stared ahead blankly for a moment, then shook her head vigorously. "So there is going to be an invasion of monsters?"

"No!" Toriel's tone was alarmed. "We are preparing to leave, but we must talk to representatives of your people first to prevent misunderstandings. We are not going to invade-we do not want another war!"

"All right. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you." Mrs. Feldman shook her head again. "This is difficult to take in." She looked back at Toriel. "You said that Frisk helped to destroy the barrier?"

"Yes." Toriel nodded. "I would be glad to explain that as well, but it is late, and the full story would not be finished for hours."

"All right. If I may ask... how many of you are there?"

"We do not have an exact count; I would estimate that there are between three and four thousand monsters in the entire Underground. It will take some time for preparations to depart to be completed, perhaps several weeks for the more remote caverns."

"Thousands..." Mrs. Feldman's voice was faint.

"Yes. We will not leave before making arrangements and agreements, however. We have no desire for conflict, and we need to learn about the outside world."

"All right." Mrs. Feldman sat thinking for a moment, then stood. "My husband is a friend of the mayor's; we should be able to set up a first meeting, at least."

"We can build our own homes, if there is somewhere we might stay," Toriel said, rising as well. "We do not wish to trouble anyone."

"You have tools and materials?"

"Yes. We intend to remove everything we can use from the Underground when we leave."

Mrs. Feldman nodded. "All right. We should check on laws concerning National Parks; considering how long you've been under Mount Ebott, you may be considered to have rights to it at this point." She chuckled. "That would take a great deal of negotiation with the state and national governments, but that's going to happen in any case."

"Any advice you can give us would be most welcome."

"Toriel... forgive me for not asking before, who are your other children?"

"Asriel is my own child, and Chara is his adopted brother."

Mrs. Feldman stopped walking. "You said... his name is Chara?"

"Yes. He fell into the mountain as Frisk did. Asriel found him."

"That... there was a Chara who disappeared from the orphanage here, while it was still a work mill, but that was... many years ago."

"He is the same Chara. What happened to him is part of the long story I mentioned." Toriel sighed. "I only learned the full story myself earlier this day. It is long and complicated, and parts are... painful."

Mrs. Feldman considered Toriel's words, then nodded. "All right. I can wait until later to hear it. Can you call Frisk over?"

"About that... if it is possible, Mrs. Feldman, I would like to adopt Frisk."

Mrs. Feldman leaned against her van. "You want to adopt Frisk?"

"Yes. He has become a friend to everyone he has met underground; in particular, he has become a brother to both of my sons. I understand that such things must be done properly, but-it would hurt them for him to leave." Toriel looked at her pleadingly. "Could this be done?"

Mrs. Feldman considered Toriel. She had a feeling that, fanged, horned and fur-covered or not, she was looking at a loving mother, and Frisk was obviously friends with her boys. Naturally; there was hardly a child at the orphanage who wasn't Frisk's friend. It was irregular, but... this entire situation was completely out of the ordinary. "Frisk?" she called. Frisk came over, walking with the other two boys. They seemed to be inseparable. "Would you like to stay with Mrs. Toriel?"

Frisk's face, which had been resolute, changed to a shocked look with widened eyes and a sharp intake of breath. "Can I? Please?" At her nod, he broke into an immense grin which was shared instantly by his brothers.

"Thank you, Mrs. Feldman," Toriel said with a smile of her own. "And my children thank you as well." A chorus of thanks erupted from the boys in response.

"I'm glad you've found a good family, Frisk." Mrs. Feldman said, returning their smiles. "I'll draw up the papers, and we can work on settling things tomorrow. Shall I meet you here in the morning?" she asked Toriel.

"If that would be convenient for you," Toriel said, "I would be glad to."

"Good. I'll bring my husband and the mayor as well; I'll try to explain things, but they'll need to see you with their own eyes to really believe me, I'm afraid."

"I will bring my husband and some of our friends in the morning to meet them, so that we can try to move forward with matters as efficiently as possible. Thank you again for all of your help, Mrs. Feldman."

"Um," the other boy-Chara-interjected. "You might need to prepare them a bit. They aren't all like Mom."

"That is a good point, Chara," Toriel said with a nod. "My husband must come, of course. And I think that Sans should come-he is clever, and understands humans better than most of us. It would be good for Alphys to come as well, and Undyne will want to come with her, unless we can convince her to remain behind and help keep order. It would be better if she and Papyrus stayed, I think." Toriel considered for a moment, then nodded. "That should be a large enough group for a first formal meeting."

Frisk turned to Mrs. Feldman. "So, Sans is a skeleton and Alphys looks like a dinosaur-one with two legs. She's about three and a half feet tall, and she's shy. Undyne is... a fish-person, I think is the best way to describe her. She's human-shaped and has red hair, but she has scales and her ears look like fins. Papyrus is Sans' brother, and he's a skeleton too. Dad-I mean Asgore-looks like Mom, but he's larger and taller, with bigger horns."

Mrs. Feldman stared at Frisk, then at Toriel. "I know that Frisk doesn't tell lies, but..."

Toriel nodded. "His description is accurate. Not as detailed as it might be, but sufficient as a basic illustration."

"I see." Mrs. Feldman took a deep breath. "It has been... extremely interesting meeting you, Toriel."

"I am certain it has." Toriel put a warm, soft hand on her shoulder. "I am sorry if it has been too much of a shock. Will you be all right?"

She looked at Toriel and smiled. "I'll be fine. Thank you. I'll call you in the morning to let you know how things look for the meeting."

"Thank you again, Mrs. Feldman." Toriel removed her hand. "Forgive me for not asking sooner, but is there any other name that you would prefer?"

"Well, my first name is Gertrude, but I never cared for it. Everyone just calls me Mrs. Feldman."

"Very well." Toriel smiled. "We should start back; it will take some time to reach home again. Good night, Mrs. Feldman."

"Oh, Toriel," Mrs. Feldman called after her. She turned. "I should ask-the mayor and my husband will want to know, who are your leaders?"

"My husband Asgore is King of the Monsters, and I am Queen of the Monsters. Dr. Alphys is our Royal Scientist, and Sans... well, he is officially a guard, but he has a variety of odd jobs as well."

"Mrs. Feldman, please don't let anyone ignore Sans because he doesn't have a title," Frisk said. "His brother was the Royal Scientist before Alphys, and he's one of the smartest monsters in the Underground."

"Thank you, Frisk," Mrs. Feldman said. Frisk's interjection had given her a moment to shake off her fresh shock at learning that Toriel was a queen, which meant that-Frisk was a member of the monsters' royal family now? She decided firmly that thinking about that, about all of this, was going to have to wait until she got home and could discuss things with her husband and they could call Mayor Vartich. "And thank you, Your Majesty."

"Please, call me Toriel."

"All right, Toriel. I will see you tomorrow. Good night."

"Good night. Farewell until tomorrow."

Mrs. Feldman watched for a moment as Toriel and her children walked up the path towards the mountain through the falling dusk, then brought out her cell phone and took a picture. She caught her breath as Toriel lifted her hand and a bright white globe appeared above them, lighting their way. She stared, took more pictures, then shook her head again and started her car. This, she thought, had been the most interesting day of her life. She wondered if tomorrow would be equally as interesting, or even more so.


	14. Chapter 13

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

"SANS!" Papyrus called as he strode into their house. "WE NEED TO START PACKING!"

He had finished delivering the last of the presents and letters of thanks to the Royal Family's residence not long ago; it had taken several trips, but no amount of mail could stop The Great Papyrus. Now it was time to begin their own preparations for leaving, and as usual, he would need to prod his lazy brother to-

Papyrus opened the door to Sans' room, and his eyes widened.

"SANS? WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING?"

"i think it's called packing," Sans said, straightening up from a box.

"I HAD NOT ASKED YOU TO PACK EVEN ONCE YET."

"nope."

Papyrus looked around. There was nothing left in the room but labeled boxes and Sans' mattress with blankets and a pillow. The labels were in Sans' usual scrawl, but...

"YOU ARE NOT SLACKING. WHY CAN YOU NOT DO THIS ALL OF THE TIME?"

"well, for one thing, i'm pretty sure that this is really, truly gonna be the very last time i've gotta do this," Sans said, his grin widening into a broad smile.

"OF COURSE IT IS. WE AREN'T GOING TO COME BACK, AFTER ALL." Papyrus blinked. "OH. THE RESETS."

"yeah. but, like i said, i'm betting that that's over with now. and there's something else i need to work on."

"SANS, WAIT! I HAVE A MESSAGE FOR YOU FROM QUEEN TORIEL! SHE ASKS THAT YOU COME WITH HER, KING ASGORE, THEIR SONS AND ALPHYS TOMORROW TO MEET WITH THE HUMANS' LEADERS!"

"okay." Sans kept walking towards their front door. "it's a good thing that i'm doing this now then. the meeting may need to be expanded."

"YOU KNOW OF SOMEONE ELSE WHO SHOULD MEET WITH THE HUMANS? WHO? I HAVE ALREADY BEEN INSTRUCTED TO HELP UNDYNE MAINTAIN ORDER WHILE KING ASGORE AND QUEEN TORIEL ARE ABSENT."

"bro... do you remember gaster?"

Papyrus flinched. "YES, SANS. I THOUGHT YOU DID NOT WANT TO TALK ABOUT THAT."

"yeah, well," Sans said as he opened the front door, "i asked frisk and chara if they would try bringing gaster back. they ended up with a set of blueprints instead, but i think they're gonna do the trick."

"HOW ARE PICTURES GOING TO HELP BRING BACK GASTER?"

"because gaster and i are going to play a prank on time."

"SANS! THAT IS NOT AN EXPLANATION!"

"c'mon and watch. you should be here for this anyway."

Papyrus followed as Sans walked to the back of their house and unlocked the door. He turned on the workshop lights, then strode to one of the drawers at the back of the room. "pretty sure it's still here... yep." Sans shook the dust off of a partially completed drawing, setting it on a workbench, then compared it to another he took from his jacket. "yeah, same one. so far, so good." He opened another drawer, rummaged in it for a moment, then took out a piece of paper the same shape as the note on the blueprints. "uh huh." Another round of scratching in the drawer turned up a pen; a quick scribble on the blank sheet of paper created a messy scrawl the same shape and color as on the written note at Sans' side. "perfect."

"SANS? WHY ARE THERE A FINISHED NOTE AND AN UNFINISHED NOTE AND A FINISHED DRAWING AND AN UNFINISHED DRAWING NEXT TO EACH OTHER?"

"because this is the start of the loop that gaster and i are gonna stick in time to get him out of blowing up."

"SANS!"

"just keep watching, it'll make sense when it's over. oh, wait." Sans walked over to the machine and pulled the cover off. "i should get to fixing this."

"BUT I THOUGHT YOU GAVE UP ON FIXING THAT MACHINE. YOU SAID IT COULD NOT BE REPAIRED."

"yeah, well, that was when i was using the old blueprints." Sans returned to the counter and took a long look at the finished diagram, then at the note attached to it. Next he walked to a toolchest which had been sitting under the tarp with the machine and extracted several tools and parts. Some went into his pockets; he gave the rest to Papyrus. "do me a favor and hand these over when i ask for 'em, okay?"

Papyrus took the tools and waited as Sans wriggled under the machine. He heard a grunt, and a burnt-looking piece of equipment shot out across the floor. "hand me something that looks like that, will ya?"

Papyrus studied the items in his hands and extended one under the machine. "IS THIS IT?"

"right the first time."

"AS BEFITS THE GREAT PAPYRUS! NYEH HEH HEH!"

There was a noise of metal scraping and clanking. "okay, now i need the diffensnaggler."

"UM, SANS..."

"it has a handle like a screwdriver, but with a square knob on the end with a spike sticking out."

"OH, OKAY." Papyrus put the tool in Sans' extended hand.

"thanks, bro." There was more clanking and metal noises. "almost done. there should be one part left."

Papyrus handed Sans the last part, and after another series of metallic noises he pulled himself and his tools out from under the machine. Sans brushed himself off and grinned. "i may not be good at designing machines, but i can still follow blueprints. gaster did a great job of concealing the changes he made, though."

"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT, SANS? WHY WOULD GASTER CHANGE THE MACHINE AND NOT LET YOU KNOW ABOUT IT?"

"because time will only let you bend it so far before it snaps back. if you want to change things, you have to go with the flow."

"SSSAAANNNSSSSS..."

"hold on just a second, paps." Sans dusted off the machine's platform, trotted over to the counter and checked the note, then glanced at a watch he took from his pocket. "okay, we have to wait for a little while. could have made it sooner, but this left extra time to get ready." He walked over to a wall and leaned back against it, arms crossed behind his head, and slid down until he was sitting on the floor, back against the wall. "now we wait and watch the platform, and i explain gaster's trick."

Papyrus walked over to the wall and spun, looking at the machine as he stood next to Sans. "WELL?"

"okay. first, do you remember what i told you about what happened when gaster disappeared?"

"YES. YOU SAID THAT YOU HAD MADE A MISTAKE. THAT GOING BACK IN TIME TO STOP THE WAR FROM HAPPENING WOULD MEAN THAT THE TIME MACHINE WOULD NEVER BE BUILT, AND THAT CAUSED A... PARADOX? THAT TIME HITTING BACK HAD BROKEN THE MACHINE, AND SCATTERED GASTER."

"right. and that's what had happened, before frisk and chara opened up another way out."

"HOW DID THEY DO THAT?"

"they wished for gaster to be back. i don't know just how strong their determination is-"

"CONSIDERING WHAT THEY HAVE DONE, VERY STRONG. THEY ARE ALMOST AS GREAT AS I AM. MAYBE... EVEN AS GREAT."

"you're still the coolest skeleton around, bro." Sans winked.

"OF COURSE! NYEH HEH HEH!"

"anyway, time is tricky to deal with. they didn't get gaster back, exactly, but they changed what happened back then in the lab. i left a note to myself and to gaster with the blueprints explaining how to make things work out right. had my timetravel codewords on it so i'd know it was really from me, too."

"THEY... CHANGED WHAT HAPPENED?"

"yep. gaster doesn't get blown up any more. but since that already happened and had a lot of other stuff depending on it now, it couldn't just be changed to not have happened. we thought that the machine had been broken and that gaster had been blown apart, and their wish couldn't change that. but it did create the chance for the accident to be something else. for us to think that gaster had been lost when something else really happened."

"SANS. YOU ARE MAKING MY HEAD HURT."

"we could just wait, and then you can watch what happens."

"NO! NO PUZZLE WILL DEFEAT THE GREAT PAPYRUS, EVEN A SPACE-TIME PUZZLE!"

"attaboy. well, it's like this. the big things that we remember happening - the machine breaking, gaster being gone, and us not being able to fix it - still have to happen. trying to change that will make time hit back. what we can change is the details, and what will happen because of those details. do you remember how when i was trying to fix the machine i complained that it didn't look right, that gaster must have made some last-minute adjustments to it?"

"YES. YOU WERE VERY UPSET."

"right. there's no way to be certain now, but i'm pretty sure that those changes didn't happen before frisk and chara made their wish. they happened because of what we're gonna do, and what's about to happen now."

Papyrus looked confused. "SO... WE ARE GOING TO CAUSE THE CHANGE IN TIME THAT LEADS TO US CAUSING THE CHANGE IN TIME?"

"yep. we're gonna throw time for a loop. gotta wait for gaster to get back to finish everything, though."

"WE DO?"

"yeah. he has to finish the drawing."

The skeleton brothers' attention was drawn to a gleam of light at the center of the time machine's platform. The light swelled and finally flashed a brilliant white, blinding both of the brothers.

"Ah, it worked. Wonderful!"

The brothers looked up to see another skeleton wearing a purple coat covered with pockets which swelled with pens, notebooks and pieces of paper, and wearing a pair of stained cargo pants covered with more bulging pockets. He carried a traveler's bag in one hand, and was lowering the other from a waving position.

"GASTER!" Papyrus rushed forward and embraced his brother. "WE HAVE MISSED YOU SO MUCH!"

"hi, gaster," Sans said, rising. "it's been too long, bro." Sans' eyesockets sparkled oddly.

"Papyrus. Sans. I am glad to see you again." Gaster returned Papyrus' hug, then gently detached himself. "I'm sorry, but there are still a few things to be done to close the loop and render it stable."

"yeah. i've got the unfinished blueprint and the finished one next to each other on this bench. i'll write the note while you finish the blueprint."

"Excellent. Thank you, Sans." The skeletons bent over the workbench, concentrating on their work. "done." Sans signed his note, and looked over at Gaster.

"Almost finished... there." Gaster signed the blueprint. "The schematic is complete."

"good. now if you'll just sign the note and add your codewords..." Gaster leaned over and scrawled on the note Sans had written. "and now it's done." Sans leaned over in turn and stuck his note onto the blueprint. "now it's time to fire up the time machine again. when did the blueprints show up on your end?"

"Between the hours when I left the lab for dinner and when I returned that night to make further inspections."

"that would be between 5:00 and 7:00. let's try 5:30."

"That ought to work." Gaster and Sans walked over to the machine, Gaster picking up note and blueprints and arranging them carefully on the platform. "They looked like this, I recall."

"great." Sans walked to the time machine's panel, carefully adjusting its settings. "this should be right. wanna check me?"

"Best to be careful." Gaster leaned over and inspected the display. "Yes, that is correct. The machine is prepared?"

"yeah. fixed it while we were waiting for ya. nice job of decoy parts and faked damage, by the way."

"Well, you know how I am about machine design."

"oh yeah. and now we get to pull a prank on time."

Gaster's skull grinned wide enough that it appeared his lower jaw might drop off. "This is going to be the best prank EVER."

"yep. well, here we go..." Sans looked over at Papyrus. "hey, you wanna push the button?"

"CAN I?"

"sure. just hit the big green one up here."

Papyrus stepped forward and carefully pressed the big, green button. The time machine gave another flash of light, and the blueprints vanished.

"and that's it. loop closed." Sans' grin was enormous as he turned to Gaster. "we have officially japed time."

Gaster swept both Papyrus and Sans into a hug, laughing. "AHAHAHAHA! YES! THIS IS THE BEST DAY EVER!" The brothers' laughter rose together in a three-part crescendo.

"YES! MY BROTHER GASTER IS BACK, MY BROTHER SANS IS HAPPY AGAIN, THE BARRIER IS BROKEN AND CHARA AND ASRIEL HAVE RETURNED! TRULY, THIS IS THE GREATEST OF DAYS!"

Gaster's laugh turned into a choking cough. "Th-the barrier is broken? Chara and Asriel are alive again? Papyrus, Sans, what has happened?"

Sans stepped back from Gaster, shaking his head. "i need to go see asgore and toriel with you, gaster; they want me to meet some humans with them tomorrow, along with alphys, and you should be there. besides, they and alphys will want to know you're back." He started towards the door, but was confronted by Papyrus standing in front of it with folded arms. "FIRST, I NEED AN EXPLANATION. HOW, EXACTLY, HAVE YOU PRANKED TIME?"

"paps-"

"It's all right, Sans," Gaster said. "The explanation should not be an overly long one. You remember, I hope, that after we had dinner on the night before I attempted to go back and stop the war, I returned to the workshop to make my final checks on the time machine?"

"YES."

"When I entered the workshop, I observed a blueprint on the machine's platform. I picked it up and read the note attached to it, this one." Gaster stepped to the workbench and lifted the note. "It was written by Sans, and explained that our attempt to stop the war would create a time paradox by preventing the machine from being built in the first place." Gaster sighed. "We should have performed more tests; I had hoped that the theory of time running in multiple, parallel streams might be correct, allowing for such a contradiction, but-"

"short version, gaster. we can talk about time theory later. but for now, just your story."

"All right. In any case, the note warned that the project as designed was doomed to fail. However, the note also said that modifying the machine in accordance with the attached blueprints should allow me to be transported to a point in the future while still giving the appearance of a failure, permitting my survival without causing another time paradox. Given that I had already begun design of the modified machine and could recognize my own work in having completed it, and that I had signed the note and included codewords which I had selected for ascertaining the veracity of time travel claims, I decided to trust the note's information and made the modifications. They included false display panel readings which would indicate that I had attempted to reach the past while my actual destination was in the future, as well as additional extraneous pieces of machinery to disguise and conceal the modifications I had made to the time machine and to give the appearance of a catastrophic failure after the machine had activated."

Papyrus had uncrossed his arms, and now held his head in his hands. "I HAD FORGOTTEN WHAT IT FELT LIKE WHEN YOU EXPLAINED THINGS."

Gaster looked apologetic. "I'm sorry, I was trying to explain clearly."

"not your fault, bro." Sans turned to Papyrus. "okay, really quick version. gaster had to disappear because that had already happened; it couldn't be changed. but instead of disappearing because he got blown up, he disappeared because he went to the future, here with us. to make things look the same, he messed with the machine so it would look like it had broken and so we didn't know how it actually worked any more. he trusted the design because he knew he had made it in the future; he had drawn it and had signed it, and only he knew his codewords. even i didn't know those."

"And so I ended up here and now," Gaster said with a nod. He looked thoughtful. "Though I can't understand why you never found the blueprints and the note; I didn't hide them, I just shuffled them out of the way into my other papers."

"well, the reason we never found them might also be responsible for the time disturbance we felt when you used the machine, gaster. now, i'm pretty sure that in the unaltered timeline, you did try going back in time and were lost. the thing is..." Sans stopped, shaking his head. "i'm just going to give you the bare-bones version here-" Gaster chuckled, and Papyrus groaned. "heh, didn't even try for that one. point is, part of what happened to break the barrier involved frisk and chara-"

"Frisk?"

"kid who fell into the underground. the reason everything's turned out so well. i think he must have the soul of a saint, even after killing everyone to find chara again. anyway-"

"A murdering saint? And what do you mean by finding Chara?"

"like i said, it's a long story, and you have to hear the whole thing for it all to make sense. for now, let's just say that during part of the process the kids ended up able to make dreams become physically real, and come true."

Gaster stared at Sans. "The energy and mental focus required to realize a metaphysical construct like a dream, let alone materialize it..." He reached into his pockets, pulling out a pen and a notepad. "What forces were involved?"

Sans waved Gaster's question aside. "time for that later, too. point is, they wished for you to come back, and they got the blueprints and the note instead. i think that what we felt when you disappeared was time being... *adjusted* by that wish."

"So they-Frisk and Chara-are the ones who created the first part of the loop?"

"yep. they set the prank up, and we finished it."

Gaster nodded slowly. "I see. Will you introduce me to them when there is an opportunity? I would like both to thank them and to question them about how they did what they did."

"absolutely. but for now..." Sans turned. "is that explanation okay, papyrus?"

Papyrus had lifted his head from his hands, and nodded at Sans. "YES, I THINK I UNDERSTAND. THANK YOU, SANS."

Sans winked. "hey, i wouldn't want my brother to get a cracked skull."

"SANS!"

"we need to go, papyrus. can you finish with the rest of the packing?"

"OF COURSE!" Papyrus posed dramatically. "THE GREAT PAPYRUS, MASTER OF MOVING, SHALL COMPLETE ALL PREPARATIONS! NYEH HEH HEH!"

"cool. thanks again, bro."

"YOU ARE WELCOME, SANS. PLEASE COME HOME AS SOON AS YOU CAN, BOTH OF YOU."

"We will, Papyrus."

"see you soon."


	15. Chapter 14

CHAPTER 14

Gaster and Sans walked out of the workshop. "Sans... would you explain what has occurred during my absence? I am feeling rather unsettled."

Sans let out a deep sigh. "right now, gaster, everyone is unsettled. i'm just glad that this time it's finally over."

Gaster glanced at Sans. "This time?"

"yeah. this time." Sans was silent for a moment. "do you remember when we talked about what would happen if time started to loop? how we could recognize it if there were a recursion, and what it might be like if the same things started happening over and over?"

Gaster nodded. "Yes. I... that discussion ended up being practical, then?"

"oh yeah. some of the ideas we had for saving things between recursions worked. some methods for saving memories too, but not as well as we thought they might. and it turns out that premonitory dreams, or memories that seem like dreams, do happen."

Gaster stopped walking. Sans continued for a few paces before realizing he was alone, and turning to face him. "Sans... is that part of why Papyrus said you were happy again?"

Sans let out a contented sigh. "you know, i'd forgotten what it was like talking to you. how you would pick up on hints and ideas and go running on ahead to a conclusion."

"Sans," Gaster said, his voice concerned, "I'm sorry. For me, it's as though I just stepped from the old workshop into the new one. I didn't stop to consider what all of you would have experienced, with me gone. And-you all thought I was truly lost? Everyone?"

Sans nodded. "as far as everyone but me and papyrus are concerned, you're still dead and gone. frisk, chara and asriel know about the blueprints, but not that you're back yet. asgore made alphys royal scientist; she did her best, but... her projects didn't work out right."

Gaster groaned. "Oh, no. Alphys is a genius when it comes to machines, but she doesn't understand how to be methodical, how to test things before progressing to the next step." He sighed. "Not that I set a good example of that myself, did I?"

"don't blame yourself," Sans said, walking back and putting his arm up to the taller skeleton's shoulder. "you were trying to find a way to stop asgore from going ahead with his plan. to stop another war. to save everyone the war hurt in the first place."

Gaster shook his head. "And because I was careless, I caused more harm instead. I hurt you and Papyrus."

"hey, don't blame yourself for winning the coin toss. i know you didn't cheat."

"No. But we should have performed more tests first."

"the first kid was already on the way to the castle. if you hadn't gone ahead and used the machine, i think papyrus would have. he always wanted to be a hero."

"Yes. That was one of the reasons I kept leaving pieces out of the machine, to prevent him from making such an attempt himself."

"gaster, things have come out okay, and even you disappearing was part of that. trying to find you was what pushed me to take my magic to the limit."

"So what did you learn?"

"well, for one thing-i can save us a bit of a walk." Sans stepped over to a rock and pointed behind it. "let me show you how i make shortcuts."

Gaster stepped behind the rock with Sans and watched as he lifted his left hand, focusing. A split opened in the air, revealing the corridor of the chapel on the other side. "after you." Wide-eyed, Gaster stepped through. Sans came through behind him, closing the split on the other side. Gaster turned to Sans. "You-you learned how to use your magic to create temporary spatial links between locations? Sans, that is astounding!"

Sans shrugged. "i still thought you had been blown across time and space. i tried everything i could think of, looked everywhere i could reach, to find a trace of you."

Gaster's face, which had been alight with wonder and admiration, fell. "I'm sorry, Sans."

"don't be. like i said, it turned out for the best. shortcutting helped a lot keeping an eye on frisk while he was headed for asgore."

Gaster's expression turned pleading. "Sans, are you certain there isn't time to explain to me what's happened while I've been gone?"

Sans shook his head. "sorry, but we need to get ready to meet with the humans. as soon as there's time, i'll show you a recording of the press conference the kids gave to tell their story and fill you in on anything that's left besides that."

"Very well, then," Gaster said. "Just... please make sure that I know enough not to trip over my own ignorance. Asgore's plan, for instance. I presume that he went ahead with the project of... collecting human souls?"

"yeah, he did. he was up to six before frisk showed up; frisk would have been number seven."

"Oh, HELL!" Sans' head snapped to his brother. "bro?" He saw tears gleaming in his brother's eyes.

"Such deaths are what I was so desperate to avoid. Sans... how is Asgore? Is he still set on war? And Toriel-how is she? I remember that she had threatened to depart because she would not accept Asgore's plan. Did she do so? Has she returned?"

"well, to start with toriel, she's been living in their old house in the ruins. she's back and is beyond happy to have her kids again. she came out of the ruins in the end and called asgore out when he was going to attack frisk; she said he should either have decided not to kill anyone or to take the first human soul, cross the barrier and finish the job himself. he's been sitting and waiting for humans to fall into the underground instead."

"Yes, that does sound like Toriel. If there is one thing she despises more than injustice, it would be cowardice. What of Asgore?"

"well, the full show is in the press conference video, but the short version is that he agreed toriel was right. he resigned and gave toriel the rulership. after she was approved by mass acclamation, she told asgore to put his crown back on and go back to work, but that all decisions would be joint between them; they both have to agree."

"That... is better than I had feared. At least they have reconciled enough to rule together, and Asgore's desire for war has been restrained."

"yeah, well, i think asgore wanted to change his mind after meeting the first human, but after... taking their soul... he felt like he was committed. he didn't want to keep killing, but he couldn't tell everyone to stop either."

Gaster shook his head. "But everyone is now committed to peace? I cannot imagine that Toriel would agree to rulership under other circumstances."

"after all this? count on it. frisk helping to break the barrier and bring asriel and chara back, plus asgore's public apology and trying to give up his crown, knocked the desire to go to war on humans out of just about every monster in the underground. the ones who do still want to fight are willing to wait and give peace a chance first."

"About that... You said that Frisk had killed everyone, and you still haven't explained how he brought Chara and Asriel back from death."

"it's part of the story we don't have time for now, gaster."

"Then give me the important points, and I'll get the rest when there is time for it. It's fortunate that I'm still beginning my day."

"what? oh, yeah. you left right after breakfast."

"Indeed. And now, Sans, explain. Please."

"oh boy. well... alphys found one of your blueprints, for extracting power from souls, and built the machine to do it."

Gaster shivered. "I never finished that blueprint; Alphys must have completed the design herself. I should have destroyed it."

"since when do you destroy ideas? you still have the first sketches you ever drew. anyway, she built the machine and used it to extract power-determination-from the human souls asgore collected. one of the things she did with it was to try making a vessel to store preserved monster souls. she took a flower from the throne room-where asriel died-and injected it with determination. thing is, it turns out all of those stories about a monster living on in their dust? they're true. that flower woke up with asriel's memories, but without asriel's soul. without a soul... he ended up doing some pretty bad stuff. other thing is, having all of that determination let him mess with time."

"What?"

"we can figure out how it worked later. the point is, asriel was able to go back to the time and place that he woke up, to reset. his own memories stayed; everyone else's were gone. he kept messing around with people using that power longer than he can remember, trying everything he could think of out of boredom, until frisk fell into the underground the way chara did." Sans shrugged. "this part's another puzzle for later, but chara still had a piece of his soul hanging around in his dead body. seems that his soul split when asriel died, and part went to his old body. the other part stayed with asriel when he crumbled. anyway, when frisk fell, he landed where toriel had buried chara, and that part of chara's soul ended up in frisk."

"Just a moment." Gaster had set down his bag and taken a notebook and pen from his pockets, and was making notes as Sans continued. "So part of Chara's soul ended up cohabiting with Frisk's soul, and another part of Chara remained with Asriel when he became dust?"

"right. at this point chara was still mostly unconscious; he says he saw frisk go through the underground but thought he was dreaming. frisk didn't know he was there at first. anyway, frisk made his way through the underground to asgore. didn't kill anyone, made friends with everyone he met even when they were trying to kill him. asgore made frisk fight him, but frisk still wouldn't kill him. then... gaster, do you remember the calculations that you made about what it would take to destroy the barrier?"

"Certainly."

"you remember how we kicked around ideas about what someone might be able to do with that amount of power?"

"I remember that, Sans. I believe that we concluded such a being would be godlike. Why?"

"because it turns out that we were absolutely correct."

Gaster blinked. "So... I take it that someone gained that power?"

"yeah. asriel. i'm leaving out a lot of stuff that happened before this timeline, all of the time recursions i mentioned-you can get that later-but this time, asriel took the six human souls asgore had while everyone was distracted, then took the souls of all of the monsters in the underground, giving him the equivalent of seven human souls. he fought frisk and chara, but having souls in him again brought his emotions back and they managed to talk him back to being his old self."

"They fought a... god. And won. That is rather improbable."

"they aren't lying about it, gaster, and all three of them agree on the same story - frisk, chara, and asriel himself. anyway, the different thing about this time, the reason that this is the last one, is that frisk and chara found a way for asriel to stay himself. every time before this, asriel used the power of everyone's souls to break the barrier. then he returned all of the souls, and went to the ruins to wait to become a soulless flower again. frisk wouldn't accept that, so he kept resetting and looking for a way to save asriel. and this time, chara and frisk together managed to bring asriel's soul back."

Sans paused as the noise of writing stopped, looking at Gaster. He was staring at his notebook, pen still. "you okay, bro?"

Gaster looked up at Sans. "Sans. Did they-Frisk and Chara-use the same method, materializing dreams I think you said, as they did to make the time loop that I used possible? That is, they wished to restore Asriel's soul?"

"uh huh."

"Has anyone asked them about that? About what they did, and how?"

"i don't think so. they just said that that was how they got asriel's soul back, and how they got the blueprints and the note that we used to get you back."

"Then I should talk to them about that." Gaster turned to another page in his notebook and wrote on it, then looked back to Sans. "Excuse my distraction. Please, continue."

"'kay. anyway, before asriel broke the barrier, he brought chara's body back to life. then, after the barrier was broken and everything was put back, frisk and chara went to the ruins to meet asriel again. they asked me to come along to keep an eye on things. they gave asriel his soul back, and asriel took chara's soul back to put in his body again. there was one hitch-it turned out that the other part of chara's soul had survived asriel turning to dust, and when he got his soul back the old chara woke up and took him over. but asriel had already taken chara's soul, and he managed to talk his old self down. he got pretty beat up, but it ended with everyone back in their own body with their own soul."

Gaster finished writing, and looked up from his notes. "So Chara confronted himself and Asriel combined?"

"right. and once the old him couldn't handle asriel anymore and tried to kill him, chara protected asriel by getting in the way of everything that might hurt him." Sans shook his head. "i thought the kid was a goner, but he just wouldn't die. too much determination."

"Interesting. Impressive. Admirable. Not consistent with what I remember of Chara previously. I am most eager to meet him."

"gaster, you need to go easy on him. on all of them. all of this happened earlier today. they're still getting over chara and asriel being alive again, besides what happened before."

"Certainly. I will at minimum need to see the video you mentioned before asking questions about their experiences in depth." Gaster put his notebook away, picked up his bag and began walking again, Sans keeping pace beside him. "But I will need to ask about those dreams, or wishes, especially whether any of them remain."

"good point. shoulda thought of that."

"Well, by your description, you have been rather busy."

"heh, yeah. feels good to be motivated again."

"The recursions..."

Sans sighed. "we kept getting out, gaster. the barrier was down. we came out onto the surface and saw the sun together. and then... i'd wake up back in my room in snowdin. over and over again. it got... really hard to keep going. to care about doing anything, when every time, everything i'd done was erased. i just had to keep hoping that the kid-frisk-would be satisfied someday, and stop resetting."

"Sans-"

"it'll be okay, gaster. just learning what all those resets were for, that frisk had been trying to help asriel all that time, made a big difference. i mean, if i'd had that kind of power, and it were you or paps in trouble, i'd have done the same thing. and frisk didn't know i remembered. he broke down crying when i told him."

"Frisk sounds quite interesting. A rare blend of empathy and determination."

"like i said, i think the kid's got the soul of a saint."

"You... also said that he killed everyone?"

"yeah. the thing is, when frisk figured out chara was inside him, chara still wanted to destroy everything. said he'd only come out and talk if frisk killed everyone in the underground."

"And Frisk did that?"

"he did. and he never stopped feeling what he was doing. the first few monsters he killed... he said he died with them, and had to go back to a save. when he got to me, he was loaded with EXP and no LOVE. i had had nightmares about fighting a human, premonitory ones. but he was different than them. none of them cried. or apologized for killing me."

"Why was he so desperate to meet Chara?"

"he needed a soul for asriel. he'd tried making asriel take his, and asriel refused. threatened to kill himself if frisk forced his soul on him. when he found out chara was in him, frisk tried bringing him to asriel as a substitute soul. but when he got to asriel, he couldn't do it. asriel taking chara's soul then would have been as bad or worse than leaving him a flower."

"But you say Chara has changed. What happened?"

"after frisk realized he'd failed to help asriel again, and thought he'd killed everyone for nothing, he... gave up. i know the feeling." Sans and Gaster walked in silence for a moment, before Sans continued. "when chara asked for his soul again, frisk let him take it so he wouldn't hurt any longer." Sans chuckled. "thing is, that saved frisk and chara both. 'cause when chara took frisk's soul, he got hit with all that frisk was feeling. all the pain that he'd caused, all the deaths that he'd felt like they were his own. chara thought frisk was trying to kill him, and gave his soul back. that pain defibrillated chara's empathy, made it start working again a little. then frisk gave chara a talking to, and guided him through one last reset to try and help save asriel."

They slowed as they neared the stairs to Asgore's house. "So their original plan was for Chara to give Asriel his soul?"

"yep. they would have done it, too, if i hadn't spotted that chara's soul still had a piece of asriel's stuck to it, and chara hadn't come up with a way to use it." Sans' smile widened. "kid's clever. he came up with the plan to bring himself and asriel back, and fix the amalgamates, in minutes."

"From what you have told me, I would agree. I hope he will turn his abilities in more advisable directions in the future."

"i'd count on it. like i said, gaster, he's changed. all of them have."

"And it seems I am about to witness that for myself," Gaster said as they reached the stairs. The sound of voices came down from above. "Sans, would you go and talk to them before I come up? Seeing me again will be a significant shock, especially for Alphys."

"sure thing. i'll call you when they're ready."

"Thank you, Sans."


	16. Chapter 15

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Sans walked up the stairs to find a meeting underway between Toriel, Asgore, Alphys and the three brothers.

"-need to explain to everyone how humans work. Monsters' magic can hurt humans without meaning to; I died more than once because of that kind of misunderstanding. If that happens outside-we can't let it."

"Everyone is eager to leave, Frisk," Asgore said. "They've been waiting for their entire lives. Holding them back is going to be hard."

"He is correct, though," Toriel said. "We will not receive another chance to make a first impression. We must do everything we can to make certain that the humans do not feel threatened by us."

Chara nodded. "Mom's right. I know that most monsters mean well, but if a Vulkin tries to give someone a 'healing hug' without knowing better, that's not going to end well for anyone, monsters or humans. Or if Aaron gets into a flex-off with somebody Or if Woshua starts cleaning something and doesn't pay attention to where their magic is going. Or-"

"i think they get the point, chara. monsters hurting humans, even by accident, is something we gotta make sure doesn't happen."

The group at the table looked towards Sans as he walked into the dining room. "Ah, Sans," Toriel said. "I asked Papyrus to tell you that you should come to our first meeting with the humans some time ago. We have been expecting you; I am surprised he did not tell you sooner. Unless you had something better to do?" Toriel raised an eyebrow.

"sorry i'm late. you know how much i love being bone idle-"

Toriel's exasperated expression gave way to an unwilling smile. "Really, Sans-"

"-but i found someone else who should come to the meeting."

"Oh? And who might that be?"

Chara and Frisk looked at each other, then at Sans. "Sans," Frisk began. "Does that mean-"

"-the blueprints worked?" Chara finished.

Sans nodded. "yeah. they did."

Frisk and Chara's faces broke into enormous grins. Asriel looked confused before a look of realization was followed by his own grin, Asgore and Toriel's faces first confused and then full of shock and disbelief. And Alphys...

"S-S-Sans. Do-do you m-m-mean that you f-f-f-f-"

Sans turned his head. "they're as ready as they're gonna get," he called down the stairs.

As Gaster walked into the room, he saw Prince Asriel sitting with Prince Chara and another human child together at one end of the table; both humans were wearing face-stretching grins that reminded him of Papyrus. Prince Asriel was smiling as well, and greeted him with the characteristic "Howdy!" he had picked up from his father. Turning towards Asgore and Toriel, he saw a pair of faces frozen in incredulity. Then he felt something hit his legs, and a pair of arms wrap around them. He looked down to see Alphys staring up at him, eyes filled with tears. "It's really you. You're really back. You aren't dead, you aren't gone, you're alive-" Her voice broke, and she pressed her face into his pants.

Gaster set his bag down to one side, then knelt carefully so he could look Alphys in the face. "I am all right, Alphys. I regret the deception, and the pain you have suffered due to it, but it was the only way to avoid an observer effect paradox from making my destruction real rather than simulated."

Alphys looked at him. "D-deception?"

Gaster nodded. "Yes. I altered the time machine so it would send me to Sans' workshop in Snowdin, while still appearing to have failed to send me to the monster king's palace several years before the war with the humans began."

"But... why?" Alphys' eyes began to tear up again.

"Because of the observer effect. You remember that we had speculated on the possibility of altering the timeline, and the possible repercussions and hazards of such an attempt?"

"Y-yes. You were concerned that trying to alter a known historical event could create a paradox, and c-cause b-b-backlash."

"Precisely. And that is what Sans and I believe did occur before Chara and his new friend-" Gaster nodded towards the table, where Sans and the boys were in animated discussion with Toriel as Asgore listened. "-altered the timeline, allowing for the insertion of a loop."

Alphys stared at him for a moment, then took on a look of concentration. "They mentioned blueprints; would those have been for the altered time machine?"

"Just so. There was a note from Sans and myself as well."

"So... Sans used the blueprints to fix the machine. Then... he sent the blueprints to you?"

"Not quite. The blueprints were for a finished version of an improved design I had been working on, with alterations to make it appear that the original catastrophic failure had occurred and to conceal the real changes to the machine. I completed the design myself after I appeared in the workshop today, as well as the note to myself with my time-travel authentification codewords. We sent the blueprints back after that to close the loop."

"And we didn't find the blueprints after you disappeared... because Frisk and Chara had them?"

"Exactly. It seems that, during their conflict with Asriel while he was... empowered by the souls... they wished for my return."

Alphys face changed again, from puzzled concentration to wide-eyed amazement. "They made a wish... that changed time?"

"That is what Sans reported that they told him, as well as that the wishes physically materialized during the episode. I intend to ask them about the details of that as soon as possible."

Alphys nodded convulsively. "Th-the power... the energy required for that... If they have any more wishes, we have to study them!"

"Agreed." Gaster stood, and he and Alphys walked towards the table and the others together. Toriel and Asgore appeared to have finished listening to Sans' version of the explanation behind Gaster's reappearance, with additions from Frisk and Chara, and now looked-well, Toriel looked as happy as the boys, if not more so. Asgore, though...

"Doctor Gaster," Toriel said formally. "We are more than pleased to see you again." She glanced at Asgore's bowed head, then back to Gaster. "We have just been discussing things. Has Sans told you that the barrier has been broken?"

"He has, Your Majesty," Gaster replied, matching Toriel's formality. "I am glad to see you as our Queen again, and I apologize for failing you." He was interrupted by a choked laugh from Asgore, and Toriel turned a reproving look towards him. Her expression changed to surprise and concern as Asgore lifted his head, exposing a face set in a broken smile and eyes wet with tears.

"You aren't the one to apologize, Gaster," Asgore said, his deep voice unsteady.

"Your Majesty-"

Asgore held up a massive hand, stopping him. "You may have failed, but you, like Toriel, at least tried to do the right thing. To stop me from killing others. You don't need to apologize, Gaster. I need to apologize to you." Asgore hung his head again, reaching for a napkin.

Toriel looked from her husband to Gaster, face torn between sympathy and embarrassment. Gaster shook his head. "King Asgore. Sans has told me something of what has happened while I have been gone. My own misfortune, however, cannot be fairly attributed to you. I would eventually have tried to go back, and in all likelihood have been destroyed, even if you had not declared your intent to kill any human falling into the underground."

Asgore looked up, wiping his eyes with the napkin.

"I knew that my attempt to go back, to prevent the war between humans and monsters which ended with our long imprisonment, might meet with failure. I considered the possibility of forestalling the war, and of preventing the deaths to both humans and monsters that the war caused, to make that risk worth taking. I would have made more tests, performed more experiments, if circumstances had been otherwise. But I would still have attempted to go back. Do not blame yourself for something that would have occurred without your influence."

Asgore wiped his eyes once more, and bowed in his seat. "Thank you, Doctor Gaster."

"Actually," Toriel said, "I believe that another title may be more correct. Was the appointment of Royal Scientist rescinded on Doctor Gaster's death?"

"N-no," Alphys said, answering Toriel. "The post was considered vacant, b-but in present circumstances-" Alphys stopped, rubbing her hands and fidgeting.

"Thank you, Doctor Alphys. Do you have any objection to Doctor Gaster's resumption of the post of Royal Scientist?"

"Of c-course not!"

"Asgore?"

Asgore's expression relaxed into a more normal, if small, smile. "I think we'd all be glad to see Gaster back as Royal Scientist again."

"In that case, Doctor," Toriel said, "would you consent to return to your former duties?"

Gaster bowed, then smiled. "If you will pardon my saying so, Your Majesties, it feels like I never left."

"yeah. he's missed quite a few years in between leaving and coming back," Sans put in. "i've filled him in on the latest news, and why the barrier's broken now, but we haven't had the time to go over their full story-" Sans nodded towards the boys. "-or most of what's happened while he's been away. he's been back for less than an hour now."

Toriel nodded and sighed. "Thank you, Sans. I appreciate your relative timeliness, considering the circumstances. And you are right that there is a need for urgency. We were discussing how to approach our first meeting with local human leaders; we have until tomorrow morning before we need to return to the base of the mountain to meet them. And now that our first Royal Scientist has returned, it seems appropriate to include him in our delegation."

"Agreed," Asgore said with a nod. "We should let Sans and Gaster know what we've already talked about."

"A brief summary should be enough, I believe, for Sans and I to be able to follow the discussion. But if you will forgive my digression, there is another matter which I believe may be even more urgent."

"Right!" Alphys rushed back to her chair and jumped onto the seat, putting her at eye level with Frisk, Chara and Asriel. "Do you have any more wishes left?"

The boys blinked at Alphys' intensity, and then Frisk nodded. "Yeah, we had one left after getting Asriel's soul and wishing for Gaster to come back."

"May we examine it, please?" Gaster said, walking around the table to stand next to Alphys.

"Sure." Frisk took out his cell phone, and began tapping its buttons. "It should be in here... okay, got it." He pressed another button, and a small rainbow-colored, five-pointed star dropped onto the table with a faint "pop". Frisk picked it up and passed it across the table to Gaster's outstretched hand.

Gaster carefully placed the star on the table in front of Alphys, who had produced her own cell phone and was pressing buttons frantically. "This thing is incredible! It's got as much power as a human soul, maybe more!"

"It is beautiful," Toriel said, leaning across the table. The star shimmered with light, the colors of the rainbow passing across it in complex, shifting patterns. "You said that this is a wish?"

Gaster looked up from his own observations and nodded. "Yes, according to Frisk and Chara's account." He turned his head towards the boys. "Forgive my distraction; I owe you a great deal of thanks."

Frisk smiled. "I'm just glad we talked to Sans and that he told us about you."

Chara nodded, but with a frown. "We should have brought more of these back with us. I should've thought of that."

Gaster chuckled. "From what my brother Sans has reported, you did quite well. Formulating a method for restoration of your brother's soul and your own resurrection in the space of a few moments? Admirable."

Chara blushed and shook his head. "I just wanted to fix things."

"Don't forget the amalgamates!" Asriel added. "Fixing them was your idea too, right?"

"Amalgamates?" Gaster turned to Sans.

"um..." Sans glanced at Alphys, who was still absorbed in examining the star with her cell phone, and coughed. "that's something we should probably wait for later to talk about."

"Her experiments?" Gaster's voice was quiet.

"yep."

"Then it can wait." Gaster looked at Alphys a moment longer, then returned to Chara and Frisk. "Would you be willing to describe what happened when you created these?"

"Okay, but... it's kind of hard to explain."

"Understandably. Please try, and I will try to comprehend."

"All right. Chara, you were the one who made these while I was dodging; you should talk about it."

Chara nodded and rubbed his forehead. "All right... Frisk told me that while he was facing Asriel during the resets, after he'd absorbed the humans' and monsters' souls, he was dreaming of, wishing for, a happy ending. To be able to help everyone. When he did, those-" Chara nodded to the star, which Alphys was now weighing on a scale which Toriel had taken from her cooking cabinet and dusted. "-showed up in his pockets. He said that when he used them, they gave him determination to keep trying to save everyone, to not give up."

Gaster's pen made a few more rapid movements before he looked up. "And you decided to see if changing the intent of the wish could change its effect?"

"Right. Frisk had been wishing to save everyone; I thought that if he could do that, maybe we could wish for something else." Chara shrugged. "It was just a guess."

"A reasonable hypothesis, and as it developed, a correct one." Gaster smiled. "Fortunately for me, and for your brother."

"Yes." Chara glanced to the side as Asriel put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm glad it worked out." The brothers shared a smile for a moment before Chara turned back to Gaster. "I really can't explain how it worked; I just... thought about why we, Frisk and I, were there, about how we wanted things to turn out well for everyone, and the wishes just... appeared."

Gaster nodded, still writing. "Almost certainly made possible because of Asriel's empowered state. I would hypothesize that your determination reacted with the highly charged magical atmosphere around Asriel, which allowed for the materialization of your determination into a physical form. But why did it materialize physically instead of taking immediate effect? Hypothesis, it was undirected and only took effect when given a more directed impulse of will to carry out. Undirected determination, or 'wish,' appears to remain unrealized until given specific direction to act upon. Determinant of shape? Hypothesis, wish took shape from ambient magic allowing materialization, so shape based on Asriel's magic. Testing of hypotheses, not possible at this time, circumstances of creation highly irregular, likely impossible to duplicate, unlikely to recur, inadvisable to attempt-"

"hey. hey, gaster." Sans tapped his brother on the shoulder. "you're note-talking again."

Gaster looked up from his notebook, purple-glowing sockets looking first at Sans, then at the wide-eyed faces of Asriel, Frisk and Chara. "Oh. Yes. Thank you, Sans." Gaster blinked, his eyes returning to their usual color and intensity. "Excuse me. New and interesting problems tend to absorb me if my attention is not distracted."

Frisk smiled. "It's okay. Papyrus can be pretty enthusiastic about things too."

"Indeed. And speaking of Papyrus..." Gaster looked towards Sans. "I have probably delayed this meeting's original agenda quite long enough. If Alphys has completed taking measurements, we should secure the wish and return to discussion of tomorrow's meeting."

"Um..." Asriel began, hesitating.

"Yes?" Gaster turned towards him.

"I-I was thinking-we might wanna use it."

"For what purpose?"

"U-um-" Asriel glanced at Chara and Frisk.

"Go ahead, Asriel. I think I know what you're thinking, though," Frisk said.

"Me too. And if I'm right, I think it's a good idea," Chara added.

"Well..." Asriel looked back at Gaster. "We need all the help we can get for there to be peace between humans and monsters, right?"

Gaster nodded. "Quite so. And you want to wish for peace?"

"Yeah!" Asriel nodded enthusiastically. "Unless... you think there's something more important?"

"Like what?" Chara said. "Considering how humans are, and how much trouble we're likely to have dealing with them, I don't think that using our last wish on promoting peace would be overdoing things. I just hope it's strong enough."

Gaster cocked his head at Chara's comment about humans, but let it pass. "I think that you have a good proposal. And this meeting is an excellent opportunity for deciding on proper use of the wish. Let us consult with your parents, and-" Gaster was interrupted by the sound of feet pounding down the hall.

"HEY! WHAT'S UP WITH HAVING A MEETING WITHOUT THE CAPTAIN OF THE ROYAL GUARD?!"

"EXCUSE US, YOUR MAJESTIES, BUT UNDYNE ASKED WHERE ALPHYS WAS. AND WHEN I TOLD HER SHE WAS AT A MEETING WITH YOU-"

"I TOLD HIM THAT IF THERE'S GONNA BE A MEETING, I SHOULD DARN WELL-" Undyne raced into the room, but stopped her headlong charge at sight of Gaster. "And who are you?"

Gaster nodded. "You must be Undyne. Allow me to introduce myself; Doctor Gaster, Royal Scientist."

Undyne's expression shifted from hotblooded rage to confused rage. "Hold on, Royal Scientist? That's Alphys. Are you taking her job?" Then her eyes widened. "Wait. Gaster? As in, designed the Core before getting into an accident Gaster? The Gaster Alphys used to work for?"

"The same."

"Um... Glad you're back." Undyne looked past Gaster at Alphys, who was taking pictures of the rainbow star from every angle with her cell phone. She appeared to have raided Toriel's cupboard and silverware drawer, and was using a plate and several forks as an improvised display stand. "Hey, what's that thing?"

"The subject of our current diversion of this meeting; it seems that during their confrontation with Asriel, Frisk and Chara acquired several highly potent physical manifestations of undirected magic and determination. This is the last one currently remaining."

"Okay. WHAT?"

"YOU MEAN THEY HAVE ONE WISH LEFT?"

"yep. remember their story earlier? they wished for asriel's soul to get fixed. they also wished for gaster to come back; that took a bit more effort to finish, but it still worked out."

"And when my brother was explaining some of what has occurred while I was absent, he mentioned the wishes; naturally I was interested in examining something so unusual, not to mention powerful, which led to our current situation."

"So that thing-" Undyne pointed at the rainbow star. "-is a wish?"

"Well, technically speaking-"

"yep. it's a wish."

"Huh." Undyne looked from the star to the assembled group. "So what are you gonna do with it?"

"We were just discussing that; Asriel has a proposal to present for its use. I should see if Alphys' examinations are complete first, however. Please excuse me." Gaster turned and walked to Alphys' end of the table as Undyne turned to Papyrus.

"Papyrus. Did you know Gaster was back?"

"UM, YES-"

"Why didn't you tell me?!"

"THE FIRST THING YOU ASKED WAS WHERE ALPHYS WAS. THE SECOND THING YOU ASKED WAS WHERE THE MEETING WAS. AND AFTER I TOLD YOU AND YOU STARTED RUNNING, I COULDN'T CATCH UP TO TELL YOU ANYTHING ELSE."

Undyne glared at Papyrus for a moment, then shrugged. "Eh, fair enough. We'll put more running in your training later. Now, how did Gaster get here?"

"SANS FIXED THE TIME MACHINE."

"The WHAT?"

"time machine. gaster tried making a time machine to go back and stop the war with humans from happening. got him blown apart when he tried to use it. frisk and chara wished for him to come back, and ended up with a set of blueprints for fixing the machine and a note from gaster and me to ourselves explaining how to fix things. we ended up pranking time-"

"That sounds like you."

"-and changing what had happened so that instead of trying to go back and getting blown up, gaster came here instead. it still had to look the same because it had already happened, and time would blow gaster up again if we just tried to have him not use the machine at all."

"Um... okay. I think I get it. Mostly. I'll ask Alphys about it later."

"Asriel!" Toriel called from the other group at the table. Gaster seemed to have finished his explanation, and he and Alphys stood to the side of Toriel as Asgore carefully reached out and placed the rainbow star in the center of the table. "Will you please tell everyone what you suggest be done with this wish?"

Asriel looked at the faces turned towards him and gulped, but relaxed as Frisk and Chara put their hands on his shoulders. "Go on. It's a good idea."

"Thanks, Chara." Asriel turned back to the table and looked at the others. "I was thinking... we need this meeting to go well, and for things to go well with the humans outside. So maybe we should use the wish to help?"

Toriel nodded. "So you think we should wish for peace between humans and monsters?"

"Yeah!"

"What do the rest of you think? Are there any other suggestions for use of this wish, or objections to the use that Asriel has suggested?"

There was a general headshake from around the table. Undyne shrugged. "Sounds like a good idea to me."

Toriel looked around the table. "It seems we are all in agreement then. Asgore?"

Asgore nodded. "It sounds like a good idea to me too. We can't afford to have things go wrong now."

"Very well. Since we are all in agreement, let us return the wish so that it can be used."

"If you will consider another suggestion?" Toriel turned as Gaster spoke. "I agree with the proposal for the wish's use. But I think that it may be more effective if everyone present takes part in the wish, and adds their determination to it."

"Is that acceptable to you three? This wish is yours, after all," Toriel said.

"Of course! We wanted to use it to help everyone in the first place."

Chara and Frisk nodded. "Asriel's right," Frisk added. "Having everyone be a part of the wish would be perfect, especially if it makes it work better."

"Uh huh," Chara said. "The stronger the wish is, the better. I know I'm not the best person to say it, but... not everyone outside is as nice as Frisk. We can use all the help we can get."

"Especially in explaining how we got out," Asgore said, his voice a quiet rumble.

"Yes." Toriel looked from Asgore to the others surrounding the table. "It seems we are all in agreement, then. How should we make the wish?"

"Frisk?" Gaster said. "You have the most experience in this matter."

Frisk shrugged. "I always just held it and thought about what I wanted to happen; that I would be able to help everyone."

Gaster nodded. "Very well then; I suggest that we each touch the wish, and when each says they are ready, we wish together. Try to gather as much determination as you can, and make the wish in your own words, whatever has most meaning to you."

One by one, each hand reached out and touched the star, brushing against the hands of the others. Each person at the table formed their wish and gathered their determination to make it come true. Each voice said that they were ready.

(Please, let there be peace between humans and monsters. Let all of our children grow up in peace and harmony.)

(Please... let the price of what I have done not be paid by others. Let the deaths I have caused not bring conflict between monsters and humans.)

(I just hope... I wish that the humans won't be jerks to us monsters. And that we won't be jerks to them.)

(U-um... I wish... I wish that my work will make things better, not worse, for everyone. Please, help me to help everyone!)

(I WISH FOR EVERYONE TO BE AS GREAT AS THEY CAN, MONSTERS AND HUMANS.)

(i wish that this will be the last time... and that we won't mess it up and wish we had another chance. i wish that this timeline be the good one, the best one we can make it.)

(I wish that there will be peace and understanding between humans and monsters.)

(I wish...)

(I hope...)

(Please!...)

(((I wish that everyone will have a happy ending.)))

The star glowed with multicolored light. It rose from the table, passing through the hands resting on it as it became insubstantial and transparent, growing until it seemed to fill the room, burning brighter and brighter until nothing was visible but a pulsing rainbow of colors chasing one another-violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange, and red. Then everyone was blinded as the colors came together and the star exploded in a flash of white.

"Wow, that... was sure something." Undyne blinked her watering eyes as the others rubbed their own eyes around the table. "Did the other ones do that too?"

"Uh uh," Frisk said, shaking his head and wiping at his eyes. "There was always a flash, but a small one. And it was gone fast, too. That was a lot bigger."

"I guess Gaster's-sorry, Doctor Gaster's-idea to make the wish stronger worked," Chara said. "Thanks."

"I am glad the hypothesis appears to have proven accurate. And I thank you, but there is no need to address me as Doctor. Gaster will do well enough, especially between friends." Gaster blinked, and two pinpoints of light returned to his eyesockets. "Ah, my vision is returning. Good."

Toriel rubbed her eyes and blinked. "Once everyone has recovered, let us return to discussion of tomorrow's meeting with the humans. This has been a most useful diversion, but we do not have much time left, and we must reserve some for sleep."

"yeah. don't want to be late to the meeting and have the humans think we're all lazybones."

A chorus of groans and laughs ran around the table, interrupted by a yawn from Chara. "Excuse me. Sorry."

"It is all right," Toriel said. "You and your brothers have had a most exhausting day. In fact, I think that it is time for all of you to go to bed."

"But aren't you going to need us? You need to know more about humans, right?"

"Yes, we do. But we also need you to be ready in the morning if you are going to come to the meeting with us. Especially if we are to leave early enough to see the sun rise."

Asriel's eyes widened. "We're going to see the sun rise?"

"Yes, if we leave early. But if you are to be awake enough, you must go to bed now."

"Okay!" Asriel turned and raced towards his room.

"I shall go and make certain that the room and beds are in order," Toriel said, rising. "Alphys, Asgore, if you will explain to the others what has been discussed already?"

"Of course, Your Majesty!"

"Please, Alphys. Except for formal occasions, call me Toriel."

"O-okay. Sorry. Sorry, Toriel."

"Thank you, Alphys." Toriel smiled at the embarrassed dinosaur, then turned and walked with Chara and Frisk towards the children's old room.


	17. Chapter 17

CHAPTER 17

Chara lay in his old bed, shivering. Toriel had offered to find somewhere else for him to sleep, but he'd said that he would be fine, and Asriel's bed wouldn't really fit three. At least their old nightshirts were large enough to fit all of them.

He closed his eyes as he remembered. Asriel bringing him the flowers. The nausea and painful blistering, mouth watering and stinging, as he forced himself to eat them. Asriel turning away so Chara wouldn't see him crying as he bent over, resisting the urge to throw up. Toriel and Asgore's panic at his bloody diarrhea, frantically finding a bucket for him. Their sadness and concern as he weakened. Asriel's pleading to stop the plan, to stop trying to die. His insistence, crushing Asriel's resistance. His request to see the flowers of his village, planning for Asriel to provoke the villagers, to make Asriel defend himself and kill them. The pain finally drifting away as his vision went dark...

There was a noise from beside the bed. Chara looked and saw Asriel in his nightshirt, tiny globe of light hovering overhead, looking at him. He turned quickly so that Asriel wouldn't see his face.

"Chara?" His brother sounded worried. He'd probably seen the tears. Damn it! He didn't want Asriel to worry about him, he'd caused enough pain already-

"We can't sleep either." Frisk's voice this time. "We're going to put our beds together; will you help? We want to try and lift ours so that Toriel-Mom-doesn't hear and we don't hurt the floor."

Chara coughed to clear his throat. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah. We'd do it, but... I'm not good enough with magic, and if I tried lifting the bed I'd probably hit the wall on the way over."

"Okay." Chara gave his face a quick wipe with his sleeve, then turned and got out of bed. The three brothers cleared the floor and carefully lifted the bed, Frisk on one end, Chara on the other, and Asriel lighting the room with the gentle glow of his light globe. It was a long process; they could only lift the bed long enough to move it a few inches before they had to stop and rest. Chara was surprised that they could move it at all; Asriel had restored his body to how it had been before his illness, but he'd forgotten he could lift this much. Unless Asriel had given him some extra strength? And Frisk was carrying his end just fine, too. Chara hadn't thought he had that much muscle when they were together. Maybe his determination made up for it, though.

They finally reached Chara's bed, and the two mattresses bumped together. They let the bed down a little too quickly at the collision, making a soft but audible "Thump". All three froze, listening, but relaxed after a minute passed in silence from outside.

"Ah," Frisk sighed, raising his arms and stretching. "Thanks, Chara."

"No problem. Thank you, guys."

"Thank you both." Asriel yawned. "Now maybe we can all get some sleep."

"Sounds good to me." Chara felt tired after the effort of moving the bed; maybe he could sleep now. He crawled over Asriel's bed to his own, then felt Asriel move next to him. Asriel's body was pressed closer into Chara's as Frisk sandwiched Asriel between them. It felt... good.

"Good night, Asriel. Good night, Chara."

"Good night, Frisk. Good night, Chara."

"Good night, Asriel. Good night, Frisk."

Chara felt a hand brushing his side, and took Asriel's hand in his. It was different than a human's, with fur and pads instead of smooth skin. It reminded him of his kitten. He tensed as the memory came, but this was a good one; one of going to sleep with Sasha on his blanket. He relaxed and breathed more easily, hearing Asriel's breaths deepen next to him and feeling them as their bodies touched. Chara smiled and closed his eyes... and slept.

x******x

Chara woke up to the feeling of his hand being squeezed until it hurt. He heard the sound of whimpering next to him, and felt Asriel shivering. "Asriel?" he whispered.

"Please... please, someone, anyone..."

Chara reached over with his other hand and touched Asriel's shoulder. "Asriel, I'm here. You're all right. Asriel, you aren't alone."

He felt Asriel tense, then relax, and heard sniffling. "Ch-chara?"

"I'm right here, Asriel. We're home. We're safe. It's all right."

"I-I'm sorry. I just had a nightmare."

"...From when you were a flower?"

"...Yeah." Chara heard more sniffling. He rolled over to face Asriel and wrapped his arms around him. "I'm not going to leave you alone, Asriel. Neither is Frisk."

He felt dampness as Asriel's face brushed his. "S-sorry."

"It's okay."

He felt Asriel roll to face him and return his hug. They lay together for a moment, resting their foreheads against each other.

"Hey, Chara?"

"Yeah?"

"Um... what's Frisk like?"

"Why not ask him?"

"He's asleep, and... well, you were with him. I've just met him, and... I still hardly know him, but he seems to know me really well."

Chara listened for a moment, but Frisk's breathing continued to be deep and even. He whispered to Asriel. "It's because of the resets. He kept meeting you and talking with you after each one, getting to know you."

"I still don't understand that. I hurt him as a flower; I tried to steal everyone's souls, and then kill him to do everything over and over again. He still cared about me even after I did all that?"

"Asriel, Frisk... I was with him, I could feel what he felt, and I still can't believe how much he can care for people. It's like... Do you remember how you felt when I was trying to kill the villagers?"

He felt Asriel shiver. "Y-yes..."

"Do you remember how that feeling gave you enough determination to stop me?"

"...Yes. I didn't want to hurt them, no matter what."

"That's how Frisk is with everyone. He just... cares. I don't think he can not care. He feels other people's pain as though it's him being hurt. And knowing you were going to wait to turn back into a flower, with no soul, sitting in the dark... There was no way he was going to just leave you without trying to help. He feels the same way I do about you; we would have given anything we had to bring you back."

"You... said you were going to give me your soul."

"Yes. I lost yours, it was only fair. Frisk tried giving you his, but you refused."

"That would have meant hurting someone, someone who was trying to help me; I wouldn't do that."

"That's why Frisk started looking for me. I guess we're both lucky you did that."

"Yeah..."

"Are you okay, Asriel?"

"I'm fine. It's just... me refusing was what made Frisk find you, and then..."

"I told Frisk something like that when we were together. He said that he was glad he'd found me, and that he'd have done it all again."

"He... what?"

"He meant it, Asriel. We didn't know about Sans remembering the resets then. But Frisk said that as long as he was the only one being hurt, as long as he could bring everyone back, he would have done it again to find me and help me. To bring me back."

"Chara..."

"That's who Frisk is, Asriel." Chara's whisper had a strange sound, as though he might be about to laugh or to cry. "He's the most loving, self-sacrificing idiot in the world. He wants to be friends with everyone he meets. And he'll never even think about not helping someone because it would hurt him."

"We're really lucky he fell."

"No kidding." Chara sighed, and the sigh became a yawn. "Sorry."

Asriel giggled. "It's okay. We'd probably better go back to sleep. Thanks, Chara."

"Thank you, Asriel. ...I'm sorry I hurt you."

"It's okay."

"Asriel-"

"Chara, you fought your old self to keep me safe, and to keep Frisk and Sans safe. You aren't the person who went to the village any more. What happened before... we can't change. But who you are now is a good person."

"...Thanks, Asriel."

"Good night, Chara. I love you."

"I love you too, Asriel. Good night."


	18. Chapter 18

CHAPTER 18

Gaster, Sans and Alphys walked out of Asgore's house in silence. Alphys looked up at the two skeletons nervously, then away at the ground.

"so," Sans said casually. "we've got a lot to catch up on. how about i save us some time?"

Gaster looked at the other two and nodded. "That would be most helpful. Is Alphys acquainted with your shortcuts, Sans?"

"not really; we've... uh... been kind of busy with our own things while you were gone."

Alphys looked up, eyes glistening. "Since we stopped trying to fix the time machine."

Gaster nodded, face somber. "I'm sorry I deceived you, Alphys."

She shook her head. "No, you were right about it being the way out of the original event, the one where you never come back. It's just..."

"you being gone hurt."

"Y-yes." Alphys nodded as they approached a dark corner. "It's good to have you back... Wing-Dings." She giggled.

Gaster snorted. "I suppose it was too much to hope for that you'd forget that nickname."

"are you kidding? she's got years of missing it to make up for." Sans winked.

Alphys smiled, but then looked puzzled. "Um, Sans? Why are we going into a corner?"

"eh... force of habit, mostly. i try to keep this trick under wraps."

"What-oh!" Alphys gasped as Sans opened a portal to her lab.

"ladies first. fast is good, these things take some effort to hold open."

Alphys blinked, then hurried through the portal, followed by Gaster and Sans. "Sans... when did you learn to do that?"

"after we gave up on the machine, while i was still looking for gaster. i was hoping to at least find his dust."

"Oh..."

"i can't really regret it. boning up on my magic came in handy during the resets. let me keep an eyesocket on frisk, besides dodging long walks."

Alphys sighed. "Still stuck on bone puns?"

"hey, i'm a skeleton. go with what you know, right?"

"If you did that, Sans, you would be sans learning," Gaster said. "And speaking of learning, perhaps we could discuss what has happened during my absence whilst we find the equipment for playing this recording of yours?"

Alphys shifted nervously. "O-okay..."

"hey. how about you start with the stuff that didn't come up in the press conference, like mettaton? i'll go get the gear."

"Mettaton?" Gaster looked at Alphys, head cocked.

"Oh, right!" Alphys said as Sans walked into the laboratory elevator. "I made a robot and..." She looked at the floor.

"Alphys? What is it?"

"G-Gaster... when you were gone, after Sans and I gave up trying to fix the machine and bring you back... I just quit doing anything for a while. Then... I saw this poster for a Human Fan Club. I went and I met the ghost who organized the club; they said that they wanted to be an actor, but didn't have the body for it. I-I wanted to help them, so I designed a body for them. It felt good to be helping someone again, and they were really happy with it. But... after..."

"So you made a body for Mettaton," Gaster said, nodding. "That sounds like a complex project; I would be most interested in hearing more about it. But why does it make you feel guilty?"

"It's... K-King Asgore didn't know about Mettaton's being a ghost, and he heard I'd made a robot with a soul. And... I told him I did."

Gaster blinked. "So you deceived Asgore? For what purpose?"

"B-because I wanted to break the barrier. To try and finish what you had started. Asgore was still focused on using souls to get out, and I thought that m-maybe I could find something in your old blueprint sketches. S-so I... I lied, and Asgore made me Royal Scientist." Alphys covered her face with her hands. "I'm sorry..."

Gaster knelt and put his arms around Alphys. "You were trying to help, Alphys."

"But I l-lied, and then, instead of helping, I j-just h-h-hurt people-" Tears ran through Alphys' fingers as she spoke. "I-I built that machine you made for getting power from souls, the determination extractor, and I used it on the human souls Asgore had taken. T-then I asked for monsters who had fallen down to be sent to the lab."

Gaster nodded, and restrained the impulse to reach for his notebook. "You meant to use determination to preserve them?"

"Y-yes. I thought that if I could save their souls when they crumbled to dust, t-then we could get out without having to k-kill any more humans."

"That sounds reasonable and worthwhile. What happened?"

"I-I injected the monsters with determination, a-and they didn't crumble. They didn't turn back into dust. S-so I injected them with more determination."

"I see. Did you leave any un-injected? Keep records of how much determination you injected into which monster and when?"

"N-no..." Alphys said, sniffling. "I... I just w-wanted it to work, and I t-thought that m-m-more would..."

"I understand, Alphys." Gaster sighed. "It is hard to stay calm when you are trying to save someone." He patted her shoulder. "So you kept injecting them with determination. And then?"

"Then... the fallen monsters woke up again."

"They... came back?"

"Yes. At first, it was wonderful. I told their families that they'd be coming home. But then... then I found out the side effects of too much determination on monsters." Alphys' shoulders shook. "T-their bodies couldn't stand the determination. They-they melted together, multiple monsters' souls in one a-amalgamated bo-body. I couldn't-I couldn't tell their families what had happened. I kept the amalgamates in the lab and took care of them, and letters kept coming, asking what was going on, and people kept on calling, and K-King A-A-Asgore asked me what was wrong-" Alphys voice choked into silence. Then she took a shuddering breath.

"And... there was one other thing I did. When I came up with the plan to preserve monsters' souls, I thought I'd need something to hold them. A vessel. And I took the first flower that bloomed where Asriel had died, and his dust and the flower seeds from Chara's village had fallen and mixed together."

"Sans told me about that, but only briefly. What happened?"

"At first nothing happened. But then, one day after the amalgamates had woken up, I went to check on the flower, and... it was gone."

"And so Asriel returned."

"Yes. B-but... he didn't have his soul. He had his memories, but he couldn't feel any love, or care for anyone, or feel anyone care for him. He... was broken." Alphys pulled her hands away from her face and looked up, eyes wet, at Gaster. "And then he started hurting people, and that's my fault for bringing him back without a soul. And when Frisk came, I set things up so that I could pretend to help him. I had Mettaton act like he was programmed to kill humans, and I was helping to stop him. I'm a liar, Gaster. I'm garbage, a fraud-"

"No, Alphys."

"-I stole your position and I didn't help anyone, I just hurt more people-"

"Alphys. If you are going to stop lying, you will need to stop lying to yourself as well."

"B-but-"

"Your failing was the same as mine, Alphys. You tried to help, but you were too focused on that to take the proper steps to ensure the desired outcome. Trying to preserve monsters' souls, to break the barrier without killing more humans, was a good goal. Your mistakes were, first, not explaining your true qualifications honestly to Asgore; I cannot believe that he would not have assigned you the position of Royal Scientist based on your own ability and merit. Second, in proceeding with determination injections without sufficient caution and recording results; if you had done that, you might have avoided creating some of the amalgamates, though likely not all. Finally, not admitting to what had happened when things went wrong."

"But... what about Asriel?"

"That was an accident, Alphys, one which was singular and unforeseen. I know of no records, aside from legends and superstition, demonstrating that monsters' consciousness persists in their dust after death. I would not have guessed that what happened to Asriel could occur, and once the experiment had been made it could not have reasonably been averted. Besides... had you not done what you did, Asriel would still be dead and gone, correct?"

"Yes. B-but that still doesn't make things right."

"No. But it is still not something you should blame yourself for. It was an accident, not an error. As for the rest... your main failing has been secrecy. If you have confessed to what occurred-"

"I have about the amalgamates. I still need to admit that I just made Mettaton's body."

"Then once that is done, I should think that you will have expiated your failures. Really, Alphys, you have done less badly than I feared you might have."

"Only because Asriel fixed the amalgamates and gave them their bodies back."

"Just as I am only here now because Frisk, Chara and Sans fixed my error in trying to go back to stop the war. I cannot claim to be a superior role model; if I had performed more tests, I might have avoided the necessity of deceiving you all and of leaving you alone."

"But the first human was on the way to the castle already. You didn't have time!"

"And you were racing against the prospect of another human falling into the Underground before you had collected enough monsters' souls. Correct?"

"Well... kind of..."

"We have both failed, Alphys, and our failures have been redeemed by others. I have hurt you, my brothers, and others through my absence. I am not blameless either."

"Gaster... you didn't know what would happen. And your deception... you would never have come back without it."

"You did not know what would happen either, Alphys. And I would never have needed to deceive you all if I had been more careful in the first place."

"Thanks... Wing Dings."

"Thank you, Alphys. Now, if Sans does not come back soon, perhaps you would show me the determination extractor? I had only the general outline finished, and I am interested in seeing how you completed it."

"maybe after the movie?"

Gaster and Alphys turned to see Sans wheeling the television and tape player through the door to the lab. "sorry i was gone so long; took a while to find a tv stand."

"Really?" Gaster considered Sans. "I believe that there have been more than enough secrets kept here already. And I am quite certain that I heard the elevator return some time ago."

Sans rubbed the back of his head. "okay, okay. i just didn't want to butt in on alphys' talk with you. i wanted her to explain what was going on when things went wrong, and when she wouldn't, things got a bit... well, we went our separate ways."

Gaster considered his brother, and nodded. "I see. Actually, I think that there is one further thing to be done before I see the recording. You were going to make a battery to power these devices-" He gestured at the TV stand. "-tomorrow, correct?"

"Yes. It shouldn't take very long," Alphys said.

"Good. In that case, perhaps you and Sans might assemble one so that it can be tested while we watch. I will go and tour the laboratory while you do so, and then we can watch the recording together. After that, I hope you will address any areas of my ignorance which the recording does not illuminate."

"any other reasons?"

"Well, you might talk while you assemble the battery if you feel the need. I believe that such a conversation might be more productive in my absence."

"uh huh."

"I will remain if you prefer; do you?"

"nah." Sans looked at Alphys. "unless you do, alphys?"

"N-no. We sh-should be f-fine."

"Good. I will be back later, then." Gaster walked through the door to the lab, leaving Sans and Alphys alone together.

"Um... My workbench is upstairs. I'm p-pretty sure everything we'll need is up there already."

"'kay." Sans turned and walked towards the stairs, followed a moment later by Alphys.

The two divided responsibilities at the workbench, Alphys gathering the parts they would need, and Sans the required tools. Each began their work, and silence hung over the pair for a moment, broken only by the sounds of their labor.

Alphys coughed. "Sans... I'm sorry I wouldn't listen to you."

Sans sighed. "alphys..."

"You were right. I should have told people what was going on."

"i didn't come in earlier because i didn't want to pull a told-you-so. i'm not gonna do that now. i just wish i'd realized how much you hurt before i threatened to go to asgore myself."

Alphys winced. "I shouldn't have said what I did after that, either. It wasn't fair to you; you were just trying to help."

"yeah. so were you. i know you weren't trying to replace gaster; you were just trying to finish what he started. to save people. and really, making mettaton's body was more than enough to show your skills."

"I'm... I'm s-sorry I threatened to k-kill myself." Alphys turned away from the workbench for a moment. "Th-that was... cowardly."

"alphys... i'm sorry i hurt you."

"And I'm sorry I hurt you, Sans. I pushed you away and left you alone with Papyrus."

"hey, paps is cool. i was more worried about you, especially before you met undyne. you were spending a lot of time looking at that abyss in waterfall."

"I know... I was thinking about it. I'm glad you made me promise I wouldn't do that."

"hey. what are friends for?"

Alphys turned away from the bench again. "S-sans... thank you."

Sans set his tools down and walked over to Alphys. He hugged her. "Alphys. I promise I'll try not to hurt you again."

"I'll try not to hurt you either, Sans." Alphys sniffled. "Do you... will you forgive me?"

"haha, good one. i forgave you already. alphys... would you forgive me?"

"Right back at you!" Alphys' laugh was a bit shaky, but unforced.

"heh." Sans and Alphys looked at each other. "we'd better finish before gaster gets back."

"Right." They returned to the workbench. Silence fell again, but it felt... different. More comfortable. The tools clattered in a creative chorus, occasionally passing back and forth. The battery was soon assembled and plugged into a wall socket.

"You know, this is going to take a while to charge. Maybe we should go find Gaster?"

"sure. we didn't take long to finish; i'll bet he's still wandering around the lab. might have some questions."

"Gaster always has questions."

"good point." They called the elevator back and rode down into the darkness of the true lab.


	19. Chapter 19

CHAPTER 19

Sans and Alphys found Gaster examining the determination extractor. He was focused, eyes glowing purple as he traced the machine's connections and workings, and didn't react to their approach.

"hey, gaster. we're done with the battery. left it charging upstairs." Sans paused, but Gaster remained silent. "bro?"

Gaster nodded, still looking at the machine. "Alphys. You made this yourself?"

"U-um... I had your drawings to work from-"

"Those were concept sketches and notes. This is a completed device."

"Well..."

Gaster turned from his inspection. "Your research methods need improvement, but your ability with machines qualifies as genius."

Alphys blushed. "N-not really-"

"It does. To make something like this from what I left behind is an accomplishment I would have considered nearly impossible."

"you're laying it on thick, huh?"

"I am stating the facts as I perceive them. Alphys. With my return, your position as Royal Scientist has been superseded."

"Y-yes. I don't mind."

"Thank you. However, I think you are overqualified to be my assistant- forgive me, that was presumption on my part. Do you want to return to working with me?"

Alphys nodded frantically. "Yes!"

"Then I have a proposal for you. Would you consider becoming Royal Technician-no, Royal Engineer?"

Alphys stared. "R-really?"

"You are the most qualified person I can think of for the position, and you would be perfectly suited for the job. In all honesty, your skills are more than sufficient to work independently. But I would be most grateful for your continued assistance and advice in creating and designing machinery and technology. I suspect that we will be very busy indeed after we begin learning about and using modern human technology rather than their debris, especially if we are able to use magic to improve their currently existing machines."

Alphys' eyes widened. "You mean... new technology? Brand new?"

Gaster nodded. "Indeed."

Alphys' face stretched into a broad grin. "Oh... oh my..."

"we'll have to run it by toriel and asgore first. i think they'll say yes though."

"And in the unlikely event that they do not, I would be honored to work with you in an unofficial capacity. Assuming, again, that this is something you desire."

Alphys' tackle-hug nearly toppled Gaster, but he succeeded in keeping his balance as the little dinosaur clung to his chest. "I assume I may take that as a confirmation."

"looks like a safe bet to me." Sans' smile widened at the sight of Alphys with her arms and legs wrapped around Gaster. Then it returned to his permanent grin. "thanks for giving us the chance to chat."

Alphys released her grip, dropping to the floor, and nodded at Gaster. "It helped us clear up a few things."

"I am glad to hear it. Do you think the battery is charged by now?"

"Probably enough for the movie. We can let it build a full charge overnight when we're done. Oh, and are you spending the night? We could bring a bed back."

"thanks, but we really should go back home to papyrus."

"Yes. He said he would make me some of his spaghetti; apparently he has been learning to cook."

"U-um..."

"he's been learning from undyne. and her cooking methods are more passionate than precise."

"Hey! That's-okay, that's a fair way to put it."

"Then... you were not joking before when you implied that her house had burnt down due to cooking?"

"nope. just ribbing."

"I see. In that case, I thank you for the warning."

The three reached the elevator. "I could make you some noodles, Gaster."

"Thank you, Alphys, but I will be all right. I am certain that Papyrus' spaghetti will, at the least, be an interesting experience."

"i think you can count on that. especially with undyne helping."

The elevator reached the top, and they walked out together. "i'll put the tape in. i'd ask where the popcorn is, but... it's not that kinda movie."

"I've got some soft cloths in the drawer over there. They should work for tissues."

"thanks."

Alphys handed around the cloths and brought out chairs. Gaster took out his notebook and a pencil. Sans put the video in and sat down as Alphys dimmed the lights, and the recording of the brothers' confession began.

x*******x

The movie came to an end as the King and Queen embraced their sons, old and new, on the platform. Gaster's pencil had been still during most of the movie, but flew into activity when Saving and Resetting were discussed and when the fight with Asriel was described. He had also used the cloth Alphys had given him, first when Alphys took the stage and then when Sans and Papyrus made their confessions, adding new, light violet spots to its collection of stains.

Alphys' own eyes had teared over several times during the movie; Sans' cloth remained dry, though he had closed his eyes several times. He rose and turned the lights back on. "okay. now you know the story, or at least most of it. i can fill you in on most details if you have questions; you might have to ask frisk, chara or asriel about stuff they did, but i was keeping an eye on chara and frisk most of the time after they left the ruins."

Gaster shook his head and looked at Sans. "Sans... I'm sorry I took things lightly when I came home. I didn't know you and Papyrus had gone through so much."

"s'okay, gaster. there was no way you could have guessed."

"You told me not to blame myself for what happened to Asriel. You shouldn't blame yourself for not knowing what happened while you were gone."

"Thank you, both of you." Gaster closed his eyes, then opened them and looked at his notebook. "I do have questions, especially about the time manipulation that Frisk and Asriel performed to create the recursions that you experienced, Sans. But they will wait. The meeting tomorrow, and making arrangements with the humans, is more urgent. And regarding those preparations-"

Alphys yawned, then blushed. "S-sorry."

"Not at all, Alphys. I was about to say that we will need to rest in order to prepare for tomorrow. I am feeling ready for repose already; I can only imagine that you are both more weary than myself."

"i could definitely stand to rest my bones awhile. oh, by the way-you wanna come, alphys? kinda lonely here now."

"Thanks, Sans, but I'll be okay. I mean, you're already going to have to find a place for Gaster!"

"That will not be a problem, Alphys. I still have my travel supplies-" Gaster raised the hand holding his bag. "-and one of the things I included was a cot with a built-in mattress. All I need is a place to set it."

"oh, yeah, i remember that. didn't expect to be camping out at home, huh?"

"That was not something I anticipated when packing, no. Still, it is most convenient now. And if Alphys would like to come with us, I am sure that arrangements can be made."

"Thank you both! But, really, I'll be-" There was a forceful knock at the door, followed a split-second later by Undyne's entry. "Hey, what's taking you guys so long? The spaghetti's been ready forever now, and Papyrus is getting anxious."

"That will not do."

"yeah. we'd better go. i'll show you a shortcut. thanks, undyne." Sans and Gaster started for the door; Sans stopped and looked back as Undyne failed to follow them. "you coming, undyne?"

"Nah. I've crashed on your couch long enough. I figure it's Alphys' turn now."

"uh huh." Sans' grin widened, and he winked. "just make sure you get some sleep tonight, 'kay? gonna be a busy day tomorrow."

Undyne's furious expression was made significantly less intimidating by her blush. "SSAAANNNNSSSS-"

Gaster turned his own smile on Undyne and Alphys. "I am glad that some things have changed for the better while I was absent. Good night and pleasant dreams to you both."

"G-good night, Gaster."

Undyne took a deep breath and waved, face more composed but still blushing. "'Night, Gaster."

Sans and Gaster walked out and the door slid shut, leaving Undyne and Alphys together. Alphys looked at Undyne and her own face reddened. "U-um... did you eat with Papyrus?"

Undyne's blush faded as she nodded. "Yeah, I had some spaghetti before I left. It was okay."

"I can make some noodles if you want."

"Nah. Thanks, but it really was okay. Papyrus wanted to give his brother a great homecoming meal."

"I'm glad for Gaster's sake. And for Papyrus." Alphys took a deep breath. "Undyne... I'm sorry I lied to you."

Undyne shook her head. "C'mon, Alphys, we did this already at the dump, and then at that press conference. I told you already, I don't care."

"I do." Alphys' declaration was simple, direct, and forceful. Undyne blinked. "I want to be someone you can trust. Someone who you like or dislike for who I really am."

"I already do. Unless you've been faking how much you like machines and anime?"

"N-no! I lied about anime being history, but I never faked liking it!"

"See?" Undyne grinned. "Your passion's what I love, and that's always been real." She frowned. "But anime's real, isn't it?"

"Not as far as I know, no."

"What."

"I'm sorry, Undyne. You were just so happy when you saw those movies, and you admired the humans in them so much, and I wanted you to like humans too-"

"HE LIED TO ME?!"

"What?"

"I asked him whether anime was real at the dump after you left with Papyrus! And he said it WAS!"

Alphys blinked. "You mean... Chara told you anime is real?"

"YES!"

"But... he kept telling me to be honest with you. Why would he do that?"

Undyne cracked her knuckles. "I'm going to ask him."

"N-no! Not tonight, at least! Please..."

Undyne glared, then sighed and nodded. "Yeah. You're right. I'll just go with you in the morning and ask him exactly what he meant by that." She rubbed her fist. "He'd better have a good answer."

"I'm s-sure he will. A-anyway..." Alphys looked around and coughed. "My bed's upstairs. I can get another one for you, though." The little dinosaur's face turned brilliant red. "Unless you want to sh-share-"

"That's okay, thanks, another bed sounds good! Which way is it?!"

"Um, there are some downstairs, through there. I can show you-"

"No! I'll get it! NGAAHHH!"

Undyne ran out with a yell and a red face. Alphys stared after her, and her own reddened face broke out in a wide smile. As she heard the elevator start, she turned and walked towards the stairs to her own room. (I guess I'm not the only one who has trouble admitting things...)

x******x

Gaster sat down as Papyrus handed him a plate of spaghetti with Arrabiata sauce. Papyrus had finished most of the packing before Undyne's arrival, but he had unpacked everything for the kitchen again and started cooking before Undyne had gotten back to the house. They had, amazingly, managed to avoid scorching the walls or the pasta sauce. The windows had been open when Gaster and Sans arrived, and a faint hint of charcoal hung in the air, but there was only the faintest hint of scorching on some of the noodles; the worst were still in the bottom of the pot in the snow behind Papyrus' shed.

Papyrus leaned forward anxiously as Gaster lifted his fork and took his first bite. "WHAT DO YOU THINK?" Sans leaned back, his own anticipation concealed except for the dancing of his eyes and his widened grin.

Gaster chewed for a moment, then looked up. "This is not bad at all, Papyrus. Quite spicy, with a pleasing complexity to the noodles from their browning. Thank you."

Sans blinked. Papyrus beamed. "THANK YOU, GASTER! SANS! HERE IS YOUR OWN PLATE! DO NOT WORRY, THERE IS PLENTY FOR ALL OF US!"

Papyrus handed Sans his own plate of pasta, and Sans bent forward and took a cautious taste. Then he took another. "you know... i think this is the best spaghetti you've ever made, papyrus."

"OF COURSE! THE GREATEST OF DAYS SHOULD BE CONCLUDED BY NOTHING LESS THAN THE GREATEST OF PASTAS, MADE BY THE GREATEST OF SPAGETTORES!" Papyrus posed dramatically, head tilted back and eyes closed. Sans grinned and winked at Gaster, who smiled back and kept eating. Sans returned to his own spaghetti; it really was Papyrus' best yet. It was not only edible, it was... not bad. The sauce was pretty thick, but Sans' taste ran to ketchup anyway, and the peppers reminded him of the time he'd tried mixing ketchup with hot sauce. (huh. if he keeps this up, i'm gonna need to replace some jokes.)


	20. Chapter 20

CHAPTER TWENTY

Frisk stirred and blinked. He yawned, sighed, then began to stretch, brushing his hand against Asriel's furry arm.

He froze.

Frisk drew back his hand and turned his head to see his brothers still sleeping, wrapped in each others' arms. He turned away again, closing his eyes, and then looked back. They were still there. Frisk's eyes filled with tears, even as a broad smile spread over his face. It hadn't been a dream. It was real. They had really done it.

There was a knock at the door, and Toriel's muffled voice came through. "Hello. It is I, Toriel. I am sorry to wake you so early, but if we are to see the sun rise, we must begin rising ourselves."

Chara and Asriel stirred, murmuring. "We'll be up soon, Mom!" Frisk called. His smile widened.

On the other side of the door, Toriel smiled as well. "Thank you, Frisk." She turned, still smiling, and walked towards the kitchen to start making breakfast.

Chara and Asriel were blinking and yawning. "Morning already?" Asriel asked sleepily. "Uh huh. Toriel says it's time for us to get up," Frisk answered. "Ready to see a sunrise?" Asriel's response was an enthusiastic nod, followed by a wide yawn and a scramble for the edge of the bed. He reached the wardrobe and opened it, pulling out a striped shirt and pair of pants, but then stopped. He dropped the clothes and looked down at his hands, then held them in front of him, rotating them. "Asriel? Is something wrong?" Chara choked off his own yawn at Frisk's tone, turning to see what was happening.

Asriel was trembling. "I'm... I'm not dreaming, right? This is real? I'm not going to wake up and find out I'm still a flower?"

Frisk slid off the bed and walked over to Asriel, then hugged him. "You're not a flower, Asriel. You're back. Chara's back. It's real." Frisk's eyes were moist as he squeezed Asriel. "It's over, really over." Chara was on Frisk's heels, and put his arms around them both. "We're home, Asriel. We're back. Besides... you can feel now, right? You couldn't feel when you were a flower and didn't have a soul, so you must have your soul again now."

Asriel had turned into Frisk's embrace, and tears had come to his own eyes at Frisk's words. Then, hearing Chara, he relaxed and smiled. "Yeah... you're right. Thanks, Chara."

Chara smiled back, rubbing Asriel's shoulder, then turned towards the wardrobe. "We'd better get dressed. Frisk, do you think any of our stuff will fit you?"

"Um... I guess we can try it and find out."

"Okay." Chara pulled out two shirts and two sets of pants, then handed one set to Frisk. "I think I'm a little bigger than you; it might be a bit loose. At least we're close to the same height."

"It's lucky that Asgore-Dad-kept everything."

"Yeah..." Chara sighed.

"Chara?"

"I just hope Dad will be okay. I know he's happy to have us back, and he forgave us for what we did, but..."

"But he still feels guilty about what he did." Frisk's face was troubled as he nodded. "And I'm not sure Mom's forgiven him, either."

"Is there anything we can do?" Asriel looked from Frisk to Chara.

"I don't know." Chara closed his eyes and shook his head, stopping the motion of putting his pants on under his nightshirt. He resumed dressing as he talked. "It might help if we could talk to Mom and Dad about it, but... I don't know what we could say. They know the whole story now; we don't have anything new to tell them."

"We could ask them to get along, but..." Frisk stopped.

"But?" Asriel looked at Frisk. "But what?"

"If it didn't work... If it made things worse... I don't know if we could fix it. I don't think I can Save any more." Frisk's face took on an expression of concentration; then he shook his head. "It's gone. I can feel the old Saves, but I can't make a new one. And I'm not going to go back and risk losing you guys. I promise I won't."

"Thanks." Chara nodded at Frisk. "We're back to normal life now, no do-overs. So we need to be careful and think things through."

Asriel's eyes had widened at Frisk's mention of Saving, but then his face had taken on its own expression of inner focus as his eyes closed. He opened them again as Chara finished speaking. "I can't Save or Reset either. But... does that mean we can't do anything?"

"No." Chara shook his head. "It just means that we don't get a free pass for mistakes. Things are back to normal now, the way they were before time got... weird. We have to be more careful from now on. For now... I think it would be better to wait and see what happens between Mom and Dad, and think about what we can do later if things don't get better."

"Okay." Asriel still looked worried. "I just... I don't want them to be hurt any more."

"I know. Neither do we. But Dad... he killed people, Asriel. Like we did. Except the people he killed aren't coming back." Chara's head fell, and his fists clenched. "It's-it's going to be hard for him to get over that."

"Chara-"

There was a knock at the door. "Are you all up and dressed? I have made breakfast. We are having pancakes."

"We'll be right there, Mom!" Asriel called back. Chara looked up, eyes moist. "Just need to get our shirts on, Mom!"

"Very good. Please come to the kitchen when you are ready."

"We will!" Asriel waited for a moment, then spoke quietly. "So... we have to wait?"

"I think we should." Frisk's answer was soft as well. "They might still make up. I mean, everything happened just yesterday."

"Uh huh." Chara nodded. "And right now, we have pancakes to eat and a meeting to go to. And a sunrise to watch, remember?"

Asriel's expression brightened and he nodded. "What's it look like?"

"It's better to just see for yourself. Besides, no two sunrises look the same. It's different every day."

"Cool." Asriel tugged on his pants. "Okay, I'm ready."

"All right, let's go," Frisk said. He opened the door, and the brothers went out and down the hall to the kitchen, following the smell of pancakes.

x******x

"SANS. WAKE UP, SANS."

Sans grunted. "hsn't bn ght hrs yt."

"IT IS TIME TO WAKE UP, SANS. GASTER IS UP ALREADY."

Sans' eyes opened. "Gaster?"

"YES. HE INSISTED ON COOKING BREAKFAST; HE IS MAKING COFFEE. HE SAID THAT IT WOULD HELP YOU TO WAKE UP, AND THAT IT WOULD GIVE YOU ENERGY." Papyrus sounded doubtful.

"where'd gaster find coffee?" Sans looked around at the packed boxes.

"HE HAD SOME IN HIS TRAVEL BAG. I REMEMBER THAT YOU BOTH USED TO DRINK IT, BUT IT NEVER SEEMED TO WORK THAT WELL."

"we mostly used it to make up for missing sleep." Sans got off of his mattress and smoothed out his jacket. "kind of like now." He yawned and stretched. "been a while since i had any. feels like old times."

"Papyrus! Is Sans up yet? Breakfast is prepared."

"HE HAS JUST GOTTEN UP, GASTER!"

"coming, gaster."

The skeleton brothers walked downstairs, passing through the living room. It was filled with more boxes, and with Gaster's travel cot and bag stacked against a wall.

They turned into the kitchen and saw Gaster at the stove. "Ah, perfect timing Sans! The coffee has just reached readiness." He removed the pot from the stove and poured into two mugs sitting on the counter next to it; the rich odor of fresh coffee filled the room. "I took the liberty of adding some of my travel mix; I considered that you would need as much sleep as time allowed for after the events you described experiencing yesterday, so a rapid breakfast is regrettably necessary." He picked up one of the mugs and took a sip. "Hmm. Maybe a little too much calcium in this batch. Ah well, better too much than too little."

"SANS! IT IS TIME TO WAKE UP AND OPEN YOUR EYES, NOT KEEP SLEEPING!" Gaster turned to look as Sans stood motionless in the doorway with Papyrus. His brother's eyes were closed. "Sans?" He picked up the second mug and joined his brothers. Sans' eyes opened, showing a shimmering blue underline to his eyesockets. "thanks, gaster." Sans smiled and reached out for the cup. "almost feels like you never left." Gaster nodded, his own grin shrinking a little. Sans took a drink and closed his eyes again. "ah... that's good."

"I HAVE NEVER UNDERSTOOD WHY YOU TWO ARE SO ATTRACTED TO COFFEE. I HAVE NEVER HAD COFFEE, AND I HAVE NEVER LACKED ENERGY!"

"Would you like to try some?"

"um, gaster-"

"CAN I?"

"Certainly. Just a moment while I get some sugar and powdered milk; coffee is quite bitter when first experienced."

Sans followed Gaster out to his travel bag. "gaster... be careful with the coffee, okay? paps is pretty peppy most of the time already."

Gaster looked up as he pulled a pair of small canisters labeled Sugar and Dehydrated Milk from his bag. "Coffee is a fairly mild stimulant, Sans, and I am going to be mixing it with milk and water."

"yeah, but you weren't here when paps tried one of alphys' sodas-"

"IS EVERYTHING ALL RIGHT OUT THERE?"

"yep, just jawboning."

"SANS!"

Gaster and Sans walked back into the kitchen past Papyrus' exasperated glare, which turned into an expression of anticipation as Gaster added sugar, milk and his "travel mix" to another mug, mixed it with water, then filled the remaining quarter of the mug with coffee. "Here you are, Papyrus."

"THANK YOU, GASTER." Papyrus took a drink. "HEY, THIS IS GOOD! SWEET AND MILKY AND... COFFEE-EY. I THINK I COULD GET USED TOCOFFEEINTHEMORNINGS."

Gaster blinked. "Papyrus?"

Papyrus set his mug on the counter with a rattle. He appeared to be vibrating, and the kitchen filled with a sound like shaking dice.

"YOUWERERIGHT,COFFEEDOESGIVEYOUENERGY,YOUSHOULDDRINKITMOREOFTEN

SANS."

"we can't all be as energetic as you, bro."

"SANS! YOUNEEDTOWAKEUP,YOUARETALKINGLIKEYOUARESTILLHALFASLEEP!"

"Papyrus, are you feeling quite well?"

"IFEELGREATASALWAYS! YOUSOUNDTIREDTOOGASTER,YOUMUSTBOTHNEEDMORE COFFEE. I'LLGOSAYGOODMORNINGTOALPHYSANDUNDYNEWHILEYOUMAKEMORE!"

There was an orange blur, and the sound of the front door slamming. Gaster turned to Sans. "So, Sans. You were saying earlier that something similar to this occurred when Papyrus consumed one of Alphys' sodas?" Sans nodded. "yeah. i grabbed one of 'em for him after a visit, years ago. he didn't sleep for two days." Sans winked. "and alphys' sodas don't have as much kick as coffee."

"Oh dear."

"ah, papyrus will be fine. he's got enough to do today to use his energy on. might be a good idea to cut out the coffee in the mornings, though."

"I'm sorry."

"s'okay. seeing you's a better wake-up anyway."

"Thank you, Sans. ...Perhaps we should conceal the remaining coffee while Papyrus is absent?"

"good idea."

x******x

Alphys woke up, yawned, and checked her phone. Still early; she had time to sleep a little longer before she fed the amalgamates-

Her face went slack as the memories of the day before flooded in. The barrier being broken (but how?). Confessing her secrets to the crowd (was that really real? how could she have done that?). Gaster's return and forgiveness (that couldn't be real, she must still be dreaming). The wish-

Alphys reached for her phone just as it went off. She glanced at the alarm label before silencing it. "Mtg w/humans. Go New Home." If this was a dream, it was quite consistent. But if it wasn't a dream, there should be-yes. There were pictures of that incredible star-shaped chunk of solid magic and determination they had called a wish. And the readings and measurements of it she had taken. And the video her phone had made of them using it.

She sat on the edge of her bed, eyes full of tears and a smile her head could hardly hold stretching across her face. Then she heard a noise from downstairs and froze. If the amalgamates were gone, then what was-oh, right. She should check on Undyne.

Alphys walked down the stairs and saw Undyne getting out of the bed she had carried up from the lab the night before. She still had on her tank top, and was putting on her shoes. She looked up. "Hey, Alphys. Thought I heard your alarm go off. Neat music; what's it from?"

"U-um..."

"Let me guess. Anime, right?"

"It's from Mew Mew Kissy Cutie 2. It stinks, b-but it has some good music. I wish the movie lived up to it."

"Hey, if it's good music, it's good music." Undyne frowned. "Now why does anime make me think I'm forgetting some- Oh, RIGHT! Chara! He owes me an explanation!" Undyne jumped off of the edge of the bed and landed facing the door. "NGAHHH! Ready to go, Alphys?!"

"W-wait! Don't you want breakfast?"

"I want an explanation first! I can get breakfast after-"

The door opened as an orange streak raced into the room. "GOODMORNINGUNDYNE! GOOD

MORNINGALPHYS!"

Undyne blinked. "Papyrus? What's up with you?"

"SANSANDGASTERAREHAVINGCOFFEETOWAKEUPANDGAVEMESOME! THEYARESTILL

NOTAWAKEYETANDMOVINGSLOWLYANDNEEDMORECOFFEE! HOWAREYOUAND

ALPHYS?"

Undyne was struggling to keep up with Papyrus' rapid-fire speech. "Uh..."

"We just got up, Papyrus. We were going to have breakfast, then head to New Home."

"OH,OKAY. YOUANDUNDYNESEEMTOBEMOVINGSLOWLYTHISMORNINGTOO. IWILLSEEIFSANSANDGASTERHAVEMORECOFFEEFORYOUTWO."

Papyrus was replaced by an orange streak and the sound of the door. Undyne blinked. "Wow. Papyrus' running practice seems to be working." She scowled. "And he said he couldn't keep up with me last night!"

"He said that Sans and Gaster gave him some coffee. If Papyrus reacted to that the way Sans told me he reacted to the soda he gave him-"

"yeah, he did." Alphys jumped, and Undyne spun around to face Sans as he walked out of the elevator. "good morning, guys."

Undyne folded her arms. "And what, exactly, happened when you gave Papyrus a soda?"

"he got a burst of energy, you increased his training, and then he slept for a full night instead of for four hours. he decided that soda made him tired, and he hasn't had any since."

"Oh... that's what that was? He adjusted to the new training pretty well."

"yep. he's tough. and he's still got plenty of energy even without that stuff."

"Um... how much coffee did he have, Sans?"

"'bout a quarter of a cup. gaster made the coffee good and strong, but he added plenty of milk and sugar for papyrus. he should be fine after he runs it off."

"Okay. Alphys and I are going to the castle; I wanna ask Chara about something."

"But w-we need to get breakfast first!"

"you know, as much as toriel likes cooking, i bet she'll have enough breakfast for everyone."

"And how would you know that?" Undyne looked at Sans suspiciously.

"well-"

Papyrus streaked into the lab again. "GASTERSAYSHEISOUTOFCOFFEE! IAMGOINGTOSEEIF

TORIELHASANY!" He looked at Undyne. "WANTTORACE?"

"You're on!"

"OKAY!" Papyrus' orange streak was followed into the distance by a rapidly-fading "NGAHHH!"

Sans turned to Alphys. "so what's undyne want to ask chara about?"

"W-well, I told Undyne before that anime was human history. But when I told her last night that that wasn't true, she said that Chara had told her that anime was real. And now she wants an explanation."

"huh. i wouldn't have thought chara would do that. maybe we should make sure we're there to hear them." Sans' left eye glowed. "i'll go get gaster. we'll come back and take a shortcut to the house."

"Th-thanks, but I'll be fine. Someone should be here to tell Papyrus where you've gone, after all."

Sans shrugged. "'kay." He raised his hand and a portal opened, revealing a room filled with packing boxes. Alphys shook her head. "You know, I'd really like to know how you do that."

"i'll try to explain to you and gaster when we have a chance. he's been asking too."

"Of course he has. Thanks, Sans. See you soon."

Sans winked. "Eye'll see you around." He stepped into his own house, cutting off the sound of Alphys' groan.

x******x

Undyne sped through Hotland, thankful not to be wearing armor. She could see some dust settling ahead, she might still catch up to Papyrus if she just pushed herself a bit-

The dust cloud ahead suddenly opened and Papyrus appeared next to her, keeping pace as though he was walking. "AREWESTILLRACING,UNDYNE? YOUSEEMEDTOBETAKINGAWHILESOI CAMEBACKTOCHECKONYOU."

Undyne glared. "No, I just decided to take a walk instead!"

"OH,OKAY. TORIELISMAKINGPANCAKESANDSAYSSHEWANTSUSALLTOCOMEEAT. IWILL GOTELLSANS,GASTERANDALPHYSANDMEETYOUTHERE."

Papyrus was gone before Undyne could even start yelling at him. She dropped her pace to a jog as she looked over her shoulder at his disappearing dust trail. "Wow. I have GOT to try coffee some time."


	21. Chapter 21

CHAPTER 21

Asgore woke up, blinking. What a strange dream that had been. A nice one, too. He sighed; it was a pity the dream couldn't have lasted longer, but there were things he had to do. He got out of bed and walked to his dresser.

One of the sleeves of the pink sweater Chara had made for him was hanging out of the drawer. That would explain the dream; he must have found the sweater last night. He winced at a stab of pain in his chest. Chara... Asriel... the humans had taken so much from him. From all monsters. But it was almost done. They only needed one more soul before everyone would be free. Before he could finally stop. (If they let you stop.) No, he would stop. (Do you think that the humans will let you? That they won't fight you when they learn what you've done? When they learn that all of their old fears about monsters stealing their souls were true?) He could stay in the Underground, and let the other monsters leave. The humans would never have to know. (And what will the monsters say when you refuse to fight for them, as you promised to? Even if they let you stay behind, what can they say when the humans ask where they came from, and how they escaped? Will you let the humans kill them for what they did by your order? For agreeing to your vengeance on humans who never even knew your sons?)

Asgore squeezed his eyes shut, breathing heavily. He couldn't think about this now. He was the king; he had to act like one. He was responsible for protecting his people, for freeing them. He had to do this.

He stood for a moment, head bowed, then put away the sweater before dressing and going to his desk. That was funny; his diary was open. He always closed it at night, and opened it in the morning. And it looked as though the last entry must have been written at night. Why would he do that? The handwriting was strange, too, the letters large and blocky, the way he wrote when he was excited or upset. What had happened? Asgore read the last entry.

"My sons are alive again. Toriel is back. The barrier is destroyed. Toriel has not forgiven me. We have adopted the human who saved my sons as our third son. Toriel became Queen but refused to let me stop being King; we must rule together. There is too much to think about. I will go to bed and hope things are clearer in the morning. Oh! I must remember that we are meeting with some of the leaders from the human village in the morning; I should wear my good robe. Good night."

Asgore read it again. His dream... was real? He couldn't have written this in his sleep, could he? No, he'd have had to open his eyes to write, he'd have woken up. And no one would write something like this as a prank. (Sans? No, he would never be so cruel.) "My sons are alive again."

Asgore closed his eyes, and sniffled. Then he sniffed again. Something was cooking? He straightened and wiped his eyes. He quickly wrote a new entry for the day - "Not a dream?" - rose, and left his room.

The smell of cooking filled the hall, and so did the sound of voices. Toriel, Chara, Asriel... and one other voice-oh, yes. Frisk. Asgore hesitated, then took a finger from his left hand in his right and squeezed. He breathed in sharply as pain shot through the finger, but he didn't wake up. He inhaled the smell of pancakes, and walked down the hall to the living room.

It was real. Toriel was at the fireplace, with Frisk, their new son, beside her. Asriel and Chara were sitting next to each other at the table, eating pancakes. Frisk was flipping another pancake, as Toriel heated his frying pan with her fire magic; he saw a mixing bowl with a wooden spoon in it next to Toriel's old reading chair, and a plate stacked with pancakes on the chair's seat. Asgore stood in the doorway, watching, and smiled. He felt as though his chest was going to burst.

Asriel looked up and saw Asgore. "Good morning!" Chara turned and nodded. "Good morning, Dad." Frisk turned from the fireplace and smiled. "Hi Dad. Want a pancake?" Asgore blinked back his tears. "Good morning, Asriel. Good morning, Chara. Good morning, Frisk. Good morning, Tori-"

Toriel was looking at him now as well. Her face was smiling, but her eyes... (Toriel has not forgiven me.)

"-iel," Asgore finished awkwardly.

There was a moment of silence before Toriel replied. "Good morning, Asgore. Frisk is helping me to make pancakes. Would you like some?"

"Yes, please." Asgore took his pancakes and sat down at the table, pouring on some syrup from the bottle next to the extra plates and forks. There was more silence as he took a bite before looking up. "They are good, Frisk. Thanks."

Frisk grinned. "You're welcome. Glad you like them!" Toriel looked down at Frisk and smiled again, her expression easing, before spooning more batter from the mixing bowl onto Frisk's frying pan. Asgore turned his attention to his pancakes; Asriel and Chara returned to theirs as well, after sharing a glance at their parents and each other.

The sounds of frying pancakes, clinking forks and chewing were broken by Toriel. "We were discussing our plans for the day before you came in, Asgore." Her voice was calm and businesslike. "We have some time before we should go outside to see the sun rise, and perhaps we should call the others who are to attend the meeting to ask if they would like-"

Toriel was interrupted by the sound of the front door opening and the simultaneous arrival of an orange blur. "GOODMORNINGYOURMAJESTIES! GOODMORNINGFRISK,CHARAANDASRIEL!GASTERMADEUSCOFFEETHISMORNINGBUTHEHASRUNOUT. ICAMETOSEEIFYOUHAVE SOME."

The boys stared wide-eyed at the jittering skeleton. Toriel looked at Asgore. "I did not see any coffee in the cupboards this morning. Do you have any?"

Asgore shook his head. "No coffee, just tea. Would you like some tea, Papyrus?"

"NO,THANKYOU. IAMTRYINGTOFINDSOMETHINGTOHELPPEOPLEWAKEUP. EVERYONE ISMOVINGVERYSLOWLYTHISMORNING. WESHOULDASKTHEHUMANSIFTHEYHAVE COFFEE."

"Actually, Papyrus, I would appreciate it if you would tell Alphys, Undyne, and your brothers to come to breakfast here. They should have time to eat and then watch the sun rise with us if they hurry."

"OFCOURSEYOURMAJESTY! RIGHTAWAY!" Papyrus saluted, spun, and the orange blur streaked out of the kitchen as the front door sounded again.

Asriel looked at Chara and Frisk with wide eyes. "Is that what coffee does?"

Chara shook his head. "I never had coffee, but I don't think it should do... that."

"No," Frisk said, "I think that's just Papyrus. He's usually full of energy anyway." He grinned. "And now he's got even more."

"yep." "Good morning, everyone." Sans and Gaster saw five heads snap towards them as they walked through the kitchen door. Asgore, Toriel and Asriel looked surprised; Frisk looked surprised for a split-second, then smiled a greeting. And Chara just smirked. "Good one, Sans."

"thanks."

Chara looked at Gaster. "Excuse me, sorry. Good morning, Gaster. Good morning, Sans." A chorus of "Good mornings" followed his.

"Quite all right. I apologize for Papyrus; I offered him some morning coffee before learning of its effects on his behavior."

"There is nothing to apologize for; we could all use extra energy today." Toriel smiled at the skeletons but then looked concerned. "I asked Papyrus to request that Undyne, Alphys, and both of you come to breakfast with us. Shall we call him and tell him that you are here already?"

"nah. letting him run around will help burn off the coffee. i'll call him if he's gone too long." Sans studied Toriel's worried expression and winked. "besides, we should be boning up for meeting the humans, right?"

Toriel's smile returned. "Indeed. We should prepare for our jawbone session. But perhaps you would like to use your jawbones on some pancakes first?"

"love to." Asgore looked from Toriel's smile to Sans', and sighed before turning back to his plate.

"Thank you, Toriel." Gaster nodded deeply, almost bowing, as he took a plate of pancakes from Toriel.

Sans took his plate in turn. "interesting cooking setup you have."

Frisk nodded. "It's a compromise. We all wanted to talk while Toriel and I cooked and Chara and Asriel ate, and we couldn't fit the table into the kitchen."

"that makes sense," Sans said as he joined his brother at the table.

Gaster finished his first bite. "These are very tasty. Thank you both."

"yeah. these'll stick to the ribs."

"Glad you like them!" Frisk said, beaming.

"I am glad as well. Thank you," Toriel added.

Gaster looked at her. "If you do not object to discussing business at breakfast, I recall that there is another matter we talked about last night after Chara, Frisk and Asriel had gone to bed. One concerning the need to teach monsters about humans."

"I have no objection, Gaster," Toriel said. She considered the plate on her old reading chair with its golden tower of pancakes as Frisk carefully slid the latest onto its top, then picked it up. "Frisk, you have not had any pancakes yet. I believe you would like to eat as well, would you not?"

"Do we have enough?"

"I think we do; if we do not, we can make more when they are needed." Frisk and Toriel walked to the table, and she handed Frisk a plate of pancakes as he sat down. "Now, Gaster," Toriel said as she took her own pancakes from the still-impressive stack, "I think you were referring to the need for human relations teachers for the monsters, and to the suggestion last night that Frisk or Chara might teach if they are able and willing?" Chara looked up quickly, as did Frisk with his mouth bulging.

Gaster nodded. "That is correct. Another possibility occurred to me after the meeting as well; if Chara or Frisk could teach one of us, or some other monster, about humans, then that person could act as an instructor instead."

Chara shook his head. "It would work better if it's one of us; that way we can just answer people's questions, and you won't have to ask us so you can repeat our answers back."

"It would be more efficient. But teaching may be demanding for you or your brother. I would not want to overburden either of you, especially since I expect we will need your help understanding the outside humans."

Frisk swallowed. "That's okay. We can handle it. Right, Chara?"

"Right. Frisk, didn't you say you'd done something like this before, in one of the timelines where you stayed outside for a while?"

Frisk nodded, his smile fading, and glanced at Sans. "Yeah. I did."

"that's handy. it'll be different this time though, right?" Sans' grin wasn't quite as wide as usual as he looked back at Frisk.

"Right," Frisk said. "I can't count on things going the same." He took a deep breath. "And we didn't tell anyone how we got out the last time. It didn't come up. Not before I Reset, anyway. But this time, we need to tell them. This is the last time, and we can't spoil things trying to keep secrets."

Sans nodded back, his grin normal again. "yeah, that's what we figured last night. we were gonna ask you about that, too. do you think the folks you were with before, the feldmans, would be a good start for explaining the whole story?"

Frisk closed his eyes and considered for a moment. "I do. The Feldmans are pretty understanding. I think they'd at least listen to an explanation, and I think they'd help us figure out how to tell other people about it too."

Gaster's notebook was out and his pen scratching. "We had hoped that might be the case, but you know the Feldmans, while we do not; I am relieved that your assessment of them supports our hopes and speculations." He looked up as his pen stilled. "Do you know the 'mayor' that the Feldmans were to bring to the meeting as well? Mayor Vartich?"

"Yeah," Frisk said. "I met him in the other timeline. He's... well, he's not as nice as the Feldmans. But he's not a bad person! He's just worried about Ebbottsville. At least, he was last time."

Gaster nodded. "Understandable, and appropriate given his position. His reactions should be a useful benchmark for likely responses of other human leaders." He made more notes. "But back to our original subject. The creation of a school for teaching monster-human relations, and the question of who would instruct the monsters."

Chara nodded. "Right. Since you need a human expert for meeting with the humans, and a human teacher for the monsters, that means I'm teaching. If you're okay with that, Frisk?"

"I'm fine with it, but... are you, Chara?"

"Yes. You're better with people than I am, and you've got experience; you'll do a better job than I would."

"But, Chara..." Asriel turned anxious eyes to his brother. "You said that the other monsters hurt you and Frisk without meaning to. Will you be okay?"

Chara shrugged. "After what happened yesterday, I'm pretty sure I can take it." His mouth twisted. "Besides, it's my turn, right?"

Asriel gulped, and tears came to his eyes. "Chara..."

Chara's expression changed to one of concern. "Sorry, Asriel."

"Chara." Toriel's stern tone turned everyone's attention to her. "We have forgiven you. You should not try to punish yourself for what you have done before. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Mom. Sorry." Chara looked at his plate as Frisk and Asriel put a hand on each of his shoulders.

The silence at the table was broken by the sound of the front door slamming. "CHARA! You owe me an explanation!" All turned to see Undyne storming in, her expression intense. "You said that-" Undyne was interrupted as an orange-and-yellow streak rushed into the room behind her.

Papyrus lowered Alphys to the floor; her hands were clamped desperately around his right arm bones, but let go when her feet touched the ground. She stood, swaying, and shook her head dazedly. "Th-thank you for the lift, Papyrus."

"YOUAREWELCOME! ITLOOKSLIKETHEREARESTILLPANCAKESLEFT. MAYIHAVESOME PANCAKES,TORIEL?"

Toriel nodded. "Certainly, Papyrus. Frisk and I made enough for everyone."

"THANKYOU TORIEL! THANKYOUFRISK!" Papyrus streaked into motion, stopping when he was seated in a chair with a plate of pancakes and a fork. A wedge appeared in his stack of pancakes without visible motion of his fork. "WOWIE! THESEAREGOOD! WOULDYOUTEACHMEHOW TOMAKEPANCAKES?"

"Later!" Undyne stood from checking on Alphys and marched forward, looking down at Chara. "I need an explanation first. You told me that anime is real, remember?"

Chara nodded. "Yes, I remember."

Undyne folded her arms. "And why did you lie to me?"

"I didn't."

She glared at him. "Alphys says that her anime movies she told me were human history aren't real. Are you saying she's lying?"

Chara shook his head. "No. Those movies are fiction."

"Then WHY did you say that anime is REAL?" Undyne cracked her knuckles. Asriel looked anxious, and Frisk looked worried. Gaster looked curious, and Sans raised a bony eyebrow as he looked at Chara. "U-Undyne..." Alphys said, tugging on her shirt. Undyne lowered a hand to Alphys, who took it in both of her own, but kept her eyes on Chara. "Well, Chara?"

Chara looked Undyne in the eye. "I'm going to tell you the same thing I told Frisk when he asked me the same question."

"Okay. And?"

"Anime means dramatic stories like the ones in Alphys' lab. They're usually about friendship, absurd situations and magic."

Alphys nodded vigorously. "Right!"

Undyne nodded once. "Sounds right. So?"

Chara took a deep breath. "So, when you asked me if anime was real, I was still sharing Frisk's body. I had just gone on a practice date with Alphys after a mistake with a letter from you." Alphys blushed, and Undyne reddened slightly. "And Frisk and I were trying to save Asriel by giving him my soul." Asriel shivered. Undyne thought for a moment, and then nodded.

"So you're saying that the whole situation..."

"Was anime. Exactly."

"...Fine. But what about the surface?"

"Frisk mentioned that too." Chara's expression of anxious sincerity shifted to a beaming grin. "There wasn't any magic on the surface. But-"

"But WHAT?"

"But now the barrier's been broken. Now, monsters are going to be there. And that means that there's going to be magic." Chara's grin expanded even further. "And YOU'RE going to be up there."

Undyne's expression was changing as well, from irritation to blankness. "Hold it. You mean..."

Chara's smile reminded Frisk of Lesser Dog's neck after an excess of petting. "There is no one more anime than you and Alphys, Undyne. And YOU are BOTH going to be on the SURFACE!" Chara's face had no more room, but somehow his smile got larger anyway. "YOU are going to make anime real, Undyne. Are you up to it?"

Undyne went from incredulity to offended determination instantly. "Are you kidding?! HECK YES!" She raised a fist in the air, and let loose an exuberant "NGAHHH!"

"U-um, Undyne..."

Undyne looked up to see Alphys staring down as she dangled from her hand. "Oops. Sorry, Alphys." Undyne lowered the blushing dinosaur to the ground.

"There are still more than enough pancakes for everyone," Toriel said, holding out a plate. "Would you like some?"

Undyne nodded. "Sure. Thanks. Alphys?" "Y-yes, please."

Undyne sat down as Toriel set a second plate of pancakes in front of Alphys. "Thanks, Toriel. Whoa. These are GOOD."

Alphys nodded. "Very good. Thank you, Toriel. Thank you, Frisk." Frisk looked up and gave them both a broad smile.

"Thank you; I am glad you approve of our work," Toriel said. "Now, when everyone has finished, I think it will be time to go and see the sunrise. However, we should let Undyne, Alphys and Papyrus know what we were discussing earlier."

"WHATWASTHAT?" Papyrus' plate was empty, and he looked at Toriel. "COULDIHAVESOME

MOREPANCAKES,PLEASE?"

"Certainly; there are more than enough remaining." "THANKS!"

The much-reduced tower became shorter as three pancakes materialized on Papyrus' plate. Undyne glanced at Papyrus' pancakes, which seemed to be evaporating in triangle-shaped pieces, and shook her head before looking up. "So what were you talking about before we came in?"

"The human-relations school for monsters. I'll be telling everyone about humans, and demonstrating how not to accidentally hurt them," Chara said.

Frisk nodded. "And I'll help explain to the humans outside about monsters. I did it before, in another timeline; things will be different this time, but I think the important parts will be the same. The main thing we need to do is make sure that people know what monsters are like. Not understanding makes people scared, and we don't want that."

"Yeah, that makes sense," Undyne said. "So how are we gonna handle the school for monsters? Do you want the Royal Guard to help?"

"I don't know. Maybe?" Chara said, and sighed. "We still need to decide how to do this. I think the main thing we need to teach everyone is that magic can hurt humans even without meaning to, but we need to figure out how to show them how that works." He was interrupted by a ringing from Frisk's pocket.

"Just a minute. It's Mrs. Feldman's number! Hello, this is Frisk. Hi Mr. Feldman! Yes, I'm all right. Okay, just a minute." Frisk extended the phone to Toriel. "He says he wants to talk to you."

"Hello, this is Toriel," she said as she took the phone. "Mr. Feldman? Yes, Frisk has been staying with us for the past few days. Yes, he is quite well. I-just a moment." Toriel placed a hand over the receiver and looked at Alphys, who was waving. "What is it, Alphys?"

"U-um, I could put the phone on speaker mode so we can all hear and talk. I-if that's okay?"

Toriel nodded. "Hello, Mr. Feldman? Please excuse the interruption, but we are finishing breakfast, and everyone who is to attend this morning's meeting is present. Would you object if we put the phone on speaker mode so that we may all hear this conversation? Thank you." Toriel held the phone out to Alphys, who pressed several buttons before placing the phone in the center of the table.

"Hello? Can you hear me?" The voice from the phone was a full-sounding baritone.

"We can hear you, Mr. Feldman," Toriel replied. "As I was saying, Frisk is well. We are planning to go out and see the sun rise soon, but we did not set a time for our meeting yesterday; when should we expect to meet you?"

x******x

Mr. Feldman sat back at the table, running a hand across his salt-and-pepper hair. His green eyes had bags underneath them as he looked at the others around the table: his wife, the mayor, Caspar Vartich, and the county sheriff, Samuel Abrams. Mrs. Feldman stared back at him, her own red-rimmed eyes accusing. He nodded an apology, then bent towards the phone.

"Would 11 o'clock be convenient? I know it's not exactly a morning meeting, but we still need to finish some of our preparations. And I apologize again for calling so early; I'm glad we didn't disturb your rest."

They heard a mix of odd-sounding voices before Toriel replied. "11 o'clock will be fine. That will give us more time to prepare as well. There is something else we should ask; our former Royal Scientist has returned, and we wish for him to be at the meeting. Is that acceptable?"

Mr. Feldman glanced at the others. "That should be fine. We'd like to bring another person ourselves; would it be all right if the county sheriff comes to our meeting?"

There was more chatter from the phone; one loud, rough-sounding voice stood out. "If THEIR Guard Captain is going to be there, then-"

The murmur of voices rose before falling again. "Hello?" It was Toriel again. "Please excuse the delay in our reply. Yes, we will be glad to meet your sheriff as well. Is he the leader of the local guards?"

The sheriff raised an eyebrow and leaned in. He stood slightly over six feet tall in his boots and had steel blue eyes, graying brown hair and a well-trimmed walrus mustache. In his sheriff's uniform, he looked ready to step onto the set of a modern-day Western. "Hello, Queen Toriel? I'm the county sheriff, Samuel Abrams. I'm a policeman, not a guard; my job is to investigate crimes and help keep the peace in the area in and around this county. I am head of the sheriff's department, but like I said, we're cops, not guards."

"I see." There was more was more indistinct chatter. "We have a great deal to learn about life on the surface. I hope you will excuse our mistakes while we acquire that understanding."

"Certainly," Mayor Vartich said. "I can't imagine that being trapped in a cave has made it easy for you to stay informed." He stared intently at the phone, his brown eyes challenging. The mayor was dressed casually, in a long-sleeved shirt and jeans with running shoes, rather than the suit, slacks and loafers he normally favored. His black hair was combed, but without his hair gel a few strands had escaped.

"We have some knowledge of life aboveground from items which have dropped into our caves, and from speaking with Frisk, but our understanding is very incomplete. Forgive me, but who is speaking?"

"I'm Mayor Vartich."

"Ah! You are the leader of the human town near the mountain, then?"

"That's right. You say that your people have been trapped in caves under Mount Ebott for how long?"

More chatter. "Between 900 and 1000 years; our records are regrettably imprecise." The voice was not Toriel's; it was oddly accented, speaking with clipped and precise words. "I am Doctor Gaster, Royal Scientist."

"Right, Toriel said you just got back from a trip or something?"

"Caspar." Mr. Feldman's whisper had a definite warning tone. The mayor glanced at him, then at Mrs. Feldman, and shrugged as the voice answered the question.

"I have recently returned from an experiment with time travel, yes. It has kept me occupied for some time." The mayor looked at the ceiling and sighed loudly.

"Excuse me," Mr. Feldman said. He glanced at his wife, who was glaring at the mayor as he looked at the phone with a sour expression. "Does your phone have a camera? Can you send us a picture of Frisk, and of the rest of you? I know we'll meet everyone later, but I'd feel better if I could see him."

"Of course!" Toriel's voice replied. "Alphys, you made this phone, correct? It can take pictures, can it not?"

"I-I didn't build it, just... um... upgraded it." A high, nervous voice was speaking. "But, yes, it can t-take pictures." There was a sound of rustling and chattering, and a new voice came from the phone, speaking so quickly it was hard to understand. "WEAREALLREADY,ALPHYS!"

"J-just a minute, I need to set the delay... got it!" There was a scurrying sound, then something like a squeak, followed by a chorus of laughter. "Th-thanks, Undyne." More rustling. "The picture looks... okay, I guess."

"I think it looks good." This voice was very deep, and had a rumble in it.

"Th-thanks. Okay... sending! Did it come through?"

"Just a minute." Mr. Feldman took the phone from the center of the table as its message tone went off, and brought up the picture. He stared at it for a moment, then passed it to the mayor as the sheriff moved to look over his shoulder.

The phone's picture was... unbelievable. The composition was simple; a group of people in a line facing the camera, tallest at the rear, shortest in front. But the people... Frisk and another boy stood smiling at either side of a third... child?... with a head like a white-haired goat's. There was a short... SKELETON... in a blue jacket to Frisk's right; the jacket hung open, exposing an empty ribcage. Two more skeletons stood behind the first, one in a purple jacket, the other in some kind of chest armor with an orange cape; the orange one looked oddly blurry, as though it had been vibrating. A blue-skinned person with an eyepatch, a red ponytail, and... fins... on the sides of their head stood at the left edge of the photograph, and was giving an enormous grin with teeth that looked like they might end in points. The... fish-person... was holding a large, yellow-skinned lizard into view for the camera; the lizard was wearing a white lab-coat and glasses, and had reddened cheeks, as though it were blushing. Finally, a pair of white-furred monsters stood behind the boys; they looked like grown versions of the child next to Frisk. One wore a purple dress or robe, and had short horns; the other next to it was taller, with much larger horns, and wore a purple cape trimmed with gold at the shoulders, and a small gold crown. The larger one had a head and beard of golden hair, contrasting with-his?-white fur.

"Hello? Should we try to send another picture?" Toriel's voice was anxious.

"No, it came through just fine," Mr. Feldman said, as his wife moved to look at the picture as well. "Thank you; I know my wife said Frisk was all right, but it's reassuring to see him myself."

"Of course! Would you like to speak to Frisk again?"

"Thank you, but that's all right. Is there anything else you think we should discuss before the meeting?"

"I do not think so. Anyone?" The phone sounded with a chorus of "No"s. "Then I think we will see you in a few hours, Mr. Feldman. I look forward to our meeting."

"So do we," the sheriff said. "I expect it'll be interesting."

There was laughter from the phone, and what might have been a child saying "No kidding!"

The laughter subsided abruptly, and Toriel's voice returned with a fading trace of sternness. "I am certain that it will be of great interest to us as well. If you will excuse us, I believe that the sun will rise soon, and we must hurry if we are to see it. Farewell."

"Goodbye." Mr. Feldman leaned over and ended the call, then faced the mayor, who was still studying the picture on the phone. "So, Caspar. Still think that this is a prank?"

"And that I'm either being fooled or participating in it?" Mrs. Feldman's tone was controlled but intense, her eyes focused on the mayor's as he looked up at her.

The mayor looked back, then shook his head. "I still have a hard time believing this is genuine, but I'm having just as hard a time believing that someone would put this much effort into such an implausible hoax." He sighed. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Feldman. You have to admit, though, that this sounds insane. Monsters? Sealed under a mountain by magic? And no one knowing about it for how many hundreds of years?"

"Not impossible, though," the sheriff said as he continued to study the picture as well. "Assuming that there really was a one-way barrier on the cave system, no one would be able to get out. So, no reports of what's down there." He looked up. "And if someone faked this picture, they did one heck of a job. I'll wait until we see 'em up close, but if I had to bet on this being real or not, I'd go either way. No, wait. With Mrs. Feldman's testimony and pictures, I'd bet on this being real, call it... 70-30."

The mayor nodded, then rubbed his eyes. "Okay. I'm going to assume that this is real, and we're actually going to have a serious meeting with... monsters... in a few hours. I need to go to my office and get some files, look up property boundaries and laws about legal rights. If these creatures have really been under the mountain as long as they said, they've got a claim as good or better than the Native American tribes' with their unfair treaty case a few decades ago. And they won a partial judgment." Vartich straightened and yawned. "Sorry. And... I hope you'll accept my apology, Mrs. Feldman."

She nodded, her expression easing a bit. "Thank you. I can understand your skepticism; if I hadn't thought to take those pictures, I could almost have convinced myself that I hallucinated the whole thing out of worry for Frisk. But claiming I might be trying to pull something over on you, and on my own husband-"

"I'm sorry," the mayor said again, his expression contrite. "I know you wouldn't do that kind of thing, it's just... your story..." He sighed. "How do you choose when you're asked to believe one of two impossible things?"

"You could start by trusting the person you've known for over 20 years," Mr. Feldman said.

"YOU weren't much better, Jacob," his wife retorted. "First claiming I dreamed the whole thing, and then that someone was playing tricks on me-"

He held up his hands. "You're right; I'm sorry, too."

She glared at him. "The only one who was ready to believe me was Samuel, and he's only known us 15 years!"

The sheriff shook his head. "No, fair is fair. When your husband called, my first idea was that someone had pulled your kid Frisk into some kind of Bigfoot hoax. It's been a few years, and we're about due. I only started leaning away from that theory once I talked to you and got a look at your pictures. That meeting could've been faked, but it would be risky for the hoaxer; I've never heard of one letting somebody get an up-close look at the costume, let alone talking in it. Either way, though, we needed to find your boy." He shrugged. "So, calling was the next sensible step." He pushed his chair back and stood. "I'll leave word at the office that we've gotten a tip on Frisk's location and get an unmarked car; no point in raising a ruckus until we've had this meeting and know what's going on."

"Assuming we know even then," the mayor remarked as he stood to leave himself.

"Yeah, that's a point," the sheriff agreed. "I won't be certain that this isn't a trick until I can see these folks in person, but I promise I'll take this seriously - especially until we can see Frisk and check on him."

"Thank you," Mr. Feldman said as he walked his visitors to the door. "And thanks for coming so early."

"Hey, you're a friend, AND one of my biggest supporters," the mayor replied with a grin. "Besides," he added, lowering his voice, "it sounded like you and your wife needed help, whatever was going on."

"Thanks, Caspar." Mr. Feldman's voice was friendly but slightly guarded. "And thank you, too, Sam."

The sheriff snorted. "You reported Frisk missing three days ago. There's no way I would ignore an update on a missing persons case, let alone for a missing kid, whatever it sounded like."

"Yeah; you wouldn't." Mr. Feldman's tone was warm, with an emphasis on the "you".

"I just try to do my job, Mr. Feldman," the sheriff said with a grin. He took his sheriff's hat from the coat stand and shook Mr. Feldman's extended hand before going to his pickup. Mr. Feldman shook the mayor's hand and watched him go to his Mercedes, then returned to the kitchen.

Mrs. Feldman was holding her head in her hands, face forward but eyes closed. Her husband paused, then placed a hand on her shoulder. "Can I get you some tea?"

"No, thank you." Her voice was muffled slightly.

"Coffee?"

Her head shook from side to side in her hands, eyes still closed. "No." She pulled her hands from her head as she yawned, then blinked as she looked at a flower-shaped wall clock. "Actually, yes, please. I need to start making breakfast for everyone, and I need to call Loretta and tell her that we'll be gone for lunch." She stood and stretched as Mr. Feldman filled the coffee pot, then joined her in preparing oatmeal, fruit and eggs for the children's breakfast.

"... I'm sorry." His voice was hesitant.

"I know." Her voice was resigned. "You just couldn't believe that what I was telling you could possibly be true." She snorted. "I won't be too hard on you. I had a hard time believing it myself, and I saw them. And... I remember what happened with your mother." Mr. Feldman pulled the measuring cup away from the faucet and poured the water into the oatmeal pot automatically. "You're going to need another cup of water; that was only half full." He nodded. "I'm sorry I worried you, Jacob," Mrs. Feldman said softly. "But, really, what else could I do but tell you what I saw?"

Mr. Feldman shook his head. "Nothing. You told us the truth about what happened, and we doubted you. I am sorry for that. And mother never had pictures; she always claimed that the fairies were invisible to everyone else, and only talked to her." He chuckled. "She certainly never claimed that they wanted to have a meeting, or live with humans. Or adopt a child."

Mrs. Feldman's head snapped up from the stove. "Oh, my, thank you! I'd almost forgotten - we did get the papers arranged last night, didn't we?"

"Yes, we did. You insisted on it." Mr. Feldman moved to the stove. "Go ahead and get the forms; I'll finish the oatmeal and eggs. Loretta should be fine on her own for lunch, right? Everything's ready to heat up?"

"It's all prepared and labeled," Mrs. Feldman said, turning at the door. "I'll go over everything with her, and she has the day planner and our numbers just in case."

Mr. Feldman nodded. "All right; the children should be waking up soon. Should we call Sam and ask him to grab some donuts for the meeting?"

"I'll do that while I get the papers; he's probably thought of it already, though."

"I'll bet you're right, but a reminder won't hurt. And could you ask him to get some apple fritters?"

Mrs. Feldman chuckled. "Yes, dear."


	22. Chapter 22

CHAPTER 22

The group stood at the edge of the cliff and watched as the sky brightened, changing shade by the minute. Clouds shifted from dull red to neon pink and brilliant gold; black sky gave way to indigo, then to blue. The hills and mountains around them turned purple, then pink, and finally green as the sun spilled its light over the rim of the earth, giving the world its true colors.

"It's... it's beautiful." Asriel's voice was choked.

"Yes," Chara said quietly. "It is."

Frisk nodded; out of the corner of his eye he saw Asgore's hand reach towards Toriel's, before Toriel turned to look at him. Asgore's hand fell back, and Frisk sighed.

"Yeah, this is pretty awesome. And you said this happens every day?" Undyne's question broke the stillness.

"Uh huh," Frisk said, turning to answer her question. "It doesn't always look like this, though; that was a pretty good one."

"Cool." Undyne looked around the cliff edge. "Think we could let people come out to take a look?"

"We might," Toriel said, "but letting others see the surface and asking them to return again might be unkind; we do not know how long it will take to arrange matters with the humans."

Frisk flinched and glanced towards Sans. The skeleton was still watching the sunrise next to Papyrus, who had almost stopped vibrating once the sky began changing color. Sans seemed to feel his look, and returned it before speaking to Toriel. "up to you, but giving people a taste of the surface might help settle 'em down, too; make what's happened feel more real. seeing something like this-" Sans swung an arm at the sunrise painting the landscape around them. "-makes it hard to believe that things aren't going to change." He glanced at Frisk again. "gotta say, i'm glad we hauled our bones out here this morning. i think i like sunrises better than sunsets." He winked at Frisk, who relaxed and smiled back.

Toriel was smiling as well. "Thank you, Sans; we will consider it." She looked around the cliff and frowned. "It is a rather steep path to the bottom of the mountain. You said that you are bringing equipment for showing movies to the meeting site, did you not?"

"Yes," Gaster said. "And you are right; bringing the television, movie player and battery down from here will be rather difficult."

Undyne shrugged. "Eh, no big. I can carry it."

"But you are needed in order to direct the Royal Guard, and prevent sightseers from leaving," Toriel said.

Undyne's eye narrowed, and she scowled. "Toriel's right, Undyne," Asgore said. "You're the only one who can manage the Guard."

Undyne looked at him and sighed. "Okay, okay. I'll stay. But who's gonna carry the stuff down, then? Papyrus is staying too, right?"

"I could carry it-"

"No, Asgore," Toriel interrupted him. "Thank you, but I do not think that seeing the King of Monsters carrying a television down a mountain is the first impression that we should present to the humans."

Alphys had finished recording the sunrise with her cell phone, and joined in. "I-I could try to armor the television-"

"i can get it," Sans said.

Alphys looked at him skeptically. "Really?"

"yep. i'll just take a walk down to the meeting area and find a shortcut."

Alphys blinked, then grinned. "Oh, a shortcut! Right!"

"A... shortcut?" Toriel looked around the cliff. "I do not see any way down the mountain that is both shorter and easier, Sans. Are you certain that you can find such a thing?"

"yeah, i'm sure. don't worry, i'm good at finding shortcuts."

"He really is," Alphys said, nodding.

"Very well, then, Sans," Toriel said. "I will leave this to you."

"BUTSANS! YOUWILLNEVERMAKEITINTIMEMOVINGASSLOWLYASYOUHAVEBEEN!" Everyone jumped at Papyrus' voice as it sounded over the renewed clatter of his vibrating bones.

"BUTDONOTWORRY! I,THEGREATPAPYRUS,WILLENSURETHATYOUREACHTHEBOTTOM QUICKLY!" The group watched as Papyrus snatched Sans into the air, holding him over his head. Then they disappeared, leaving an orange and blue blur racing down the side of the mountain.

"Do you think they'll be okay?" Asriel asked.

"Yeah, they'll be fine," Undyne said, grinning. "It's good to see Papyrus' training paying off."

"In the meantime," Toriel said, "we have things to do before the meeting. Undyne, if you will summon the Royal Guard and assign them to guard the exit from the Underground?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," Undyne said.

"Doctor Gaster, Doctor Alphys. When your equipment is ready, would you please return to our house so that we can continue discussion of questions that may arise during the meeting, and possible solutions to them?"

"O-of course!" "Certainly, Your Majesty."

"Thank you. And now, there is something else I think I should do to prepare. Frisk, is it customary to have food at meetings?"

"I think so," Frisk said.

"Then we should go back to the house." Toriel walked towards the cave entrance, followed by the others.

"B-but what are you going to do?" Toriel smiled at Alphys. "I am going to make cookies."

"Can I help?"

"Of course, Frisk. So can your brothers."

"And Dad?"

Toriel looked sidelong at Asgore, who looked uncomfortable. "Maybe I could start answering the letters. There are a lot of them, and I think more are coming."

"That would be helpful. Thank you." Asriel looked from one parent to another, his face worried.

"Are you all right, Asriel?"

"Y-yeah," he said quickly, and looked back towards the cliff. "I just hope that Sans and Papyrus make it down okay."

x******x

After he got over the shock, Sans decided that being carried by Papyrus was fun. His position over Papyrus' head gave him a great view, and the wind rushing by felt good. It reminded him of riding down the highway in Papyrus' convertible, before...

Sans closed his eyes. (this is the last time. gotta keep telling myself that.)

"WHOOPS!"

Sans' eyes snapped open as Papyrus lurched forward, breakneck speed finally tripping him up. His mind raced as he saw the ground rushing toward them, Papyrus still holding up, protecting him.

Sans grinned. His left eye burned blue.

"WHEEEEEEEEEEE!"

Papyrus slid down the mountain, supported by the blue glow of Sans' magic, as he continued to hold Sans above his head. It looked like they were tobogganing, with Papyrus acting as a gravity-defying sled and Sans steering. They sped along the slope, swerving around rocks and trees and smashing through bushes. Papyrus was still laughing, and Sans grinned as they raced downwards.

Then, as they crashed out of another bush, he saw the thick clump of trees ahead. They were too close to avoid them. He had no time to make a shortcut. There was no time to do anything. Except scream.

"AAAAAAAAAAA-" THUMP. Sans jerked forward. He opened his eyes - and saw bark an inch in front of them. Sans sighed in relief, then looked down. "uh, paps? you can set me down now." Papyrus' hands didn't let go. "bro? you okay?" He listened, but heard no answer. "Papyrus!"

Sans' eye blazed, and Papyrus jerked away from the tree, leaving a large dent. His head head turned to the side, and a spray of bark and wood emerged from his mouth. "BLEAGH! OWWW..." Papyrus lowered Sans onto his back, and rolled over as Sans scrambled off. He cradled his skull. "I HAVE A HEADACHE. WHAT HAPPENED?"

"we, uh, stopped a bit too fast." Sans examined Papyrus; he seemed to be fine. His skull looked okay, no cracks. And nothing else seemed to be hurt, aside some scuff marks on his body plating and tatters in his orange scarf. "your head hurts, huh?"

"YES. SANS. CAN COFFEE GIVE PEOPLE HEADACHES?"

Sans blinked. "um... if you drink too much, yeah, coffee can cause headaches."

"I SEE. I THINK I WILL NEED TO DRINK LESS COFFEE, THEN."

"you know... i think your headache might have more to do with that tree over there."

"STOP BEING SILLY, SANS! TREES DO NOT CAUSE HEADACHES!"

Sans opened his mouth, closed it, and glanced back at the skull-shaped dent in the tree. "yeah. silly me. guess i'm just being a bonehead."

"SANS!" Papyrus lifted his head from his hands to glare.

Sans grinned back. "feeling better?"

"I WILL BE ALL RIGHT. UNDYNE HAS SUPLEXED ME HARDER THAN THAT BEFORE." Papyrus stood. "ARE WE THERE YET?"

Sans looked around. "don't think so. looks like we're most of the way down, though. you're getting pretty good at finding shortcuts yourself," he said with a wink.

"OH, GOOD. I SHOULD BE BACK IN TIME TO HELP UNDYNE GUARD THE CAVE EXIT, THEN!"

"yep. we should have plenty of time as long as we don't go barking up the wrong tree again."

"GAH! PTUI!"

x******x

DING!

Frisk and Asriel peered over Toriel's shoulders as she opened the oven to inspect the cookies, filling the kitchen with the smell of butter and cinnamon. Asgore had gone to his room to begin answering letters; Chara had joined him not long after Toriel and his brothers started baking, saying that the kitchen wasn't large enough for all of them. Toriel had accepted the explanation, and a look from Frisk stopped Asriel before he could object.

"It looks like the snickerdoodles are done," Toriel said as she reached into the oven and removed the pans, setting them on top of the stove. "Be careful!" Asriel pulled back his hand, shaking it. "They are still hot; please wait a moment for them to cool."

"Okay, Mom."

"Let us clean while we wait for the cookies to cool, shall we?"

"Yes, Mom." The three moved to the sink, Frisk washing, Asriel drying, and Toriel putting dishes away.

"Do you think the cookies are cool now?" Asriel said.

Frisk carefully touched one, then picked it up. "Feels like it. Can we try them, Mom?"

"You MAY have one each," Toriel replied. "The rest are for the meeting." She watched as Frisk and Asriel bit into the cookies, and smiled as she saw their expressions. "I am glad you approve of them."

Asriel swallowed. "Can I take some to Dad and Chara?"

Frisk saw Toriel's face change from a frown as she heard Chara's name and nodded. "One for each of them, and please tell them to get ready after they have finished; we should leave soon if we are to be in good time."

"Frisk?" Asriel looked at him as he put two cookies onto a plate.

"I'll come in a minute."

Frisk watched Asriel walk out with the cookies, then turned to see Toriel's raised eyebrow. "Yes, Frisk? Is there something you want to ask me?"

Frisk's gaze fell to the floor. Then he took a deep breath and looked Toriel in the eye. "Mom... I know you're still mad at As-at Dad." He saw her face take on its stern, closed expression, and shivered.

"Frisk. I am not angry at Asgore; I am disappointed in him, and in the choices he made. That is a matter between me and him. It is not your affair."

"Mom-"

"Frisk. Asgore tried to kill you. That is not something I can overlook."

Frisk swallowed. "I killed him myself, before. I... killed you, too." His eyes fell to the floor again, and he began shivering.

He started as he felt a hand on his head, and then Toriel's arms were around him. "It is all right now, Frisk. I am here. I forgive you for what you have done."

Frisk sighed and leaned into her embrace. "Thanks, Mom."

He waited for a moment, and then pulled back, looking into Toriel's eyes. "Mom, I'm not asking you to pretend that what Dad did never happened." He saw her face close again. "He knows that what he did was wrong. He hasn't forgiven himself for it, either. When I fought him... he wanted to die. He wanted me to kill him."

Toriel blinked. Her face was still stern, but less than it had been.

"I know that it's not the same. That what he did can't be fixed, that the people Dad killed can't come back. Just... give him a chance. Please?"

Toriel held Frisk's gaze for a moment, then sighed. "Frisk. I was in the Ruins for many, many years. I saw the children who fell, who I wanted to care for as my own, leave me. I heard of their deaths at Asgore's hands, and grieved for each of them, and for the parents who had lost them. And each time, I remembered Asgore; how he had refused to listen to me, until I chose to leave him and lock myself away."

"Mom..." This time, Frisk's arms closed around her. Toriel knelt, returning his hug.

"I cannot forget what Asgore has done, Frisk. But, if he is truly sorry, then I will try to forgive him."

"Thank you."

"Now," Toriel said, straightening, "I am going to go and change my clothes for the meeting. Please make sure that your brothers and Asgore do as well." "I will, Mom."

x******x

Asgore sat, and Chara stood, at Asgore's desk answering letters. They had finished over one hundred, but there were still several times that many piled, unopened, on the floor beside the desk.

Chara glanced at Asgore. He'd seen it before he'd... died... but watching Dad work with his hands was still a surprise to him. It seemed absurd that someone with hands so large could write so neatly, or prune plants so precisely, but Asgore's letters were always neatly formed, his cuts exactly where he wanted them.

His trident's strikes exactly where he aimed them.

"Chara?" His eyes snapped up to meet his Dad's. "Are you all right? I can find a chair for you."

"I'm fine, Dad. Thanks."

"Okay." Asgore glanced at the stacks of letters. "It looks like every family in the Underground's written to us. Everyone's glad you and your brothers broke the barrier." Asgore smiled.

"Yeah..." Chara sighed.

"Is there something wrong?"

"...I just don't feel like I deserve to be thanked. Not after what I did to Frisk, and tried to do to everyone. I'm glad it ended well, but..." Chara shook his head. "Asriel's the one who broke the barrier. Frisk is the one who brought Asriel back, and me. All I did was fix my mistake."

"Without you, Chara, Asriel would not have come back. Without you, Professor Gaster would still be lost. You deserve to be thanked."

Chara snorted. "And if I hadn't been an idiot to start with, there wouldn't have been anything to fix. You're more responsible for breaking the barrier than I am." Chara stiffened as he heard Asgore gasp. "Sorry, Dad."

"I am sorry, too." Asgore stared at his desk, pen drooping. "I do not deserve these thanks, either. Not after what I've done."

"Dad... I'm sorry I hurt you." Chara stepped towards his father; his arm stretched across Asgore's shoulder barely reached his neck. "I'm sorry I took Asriel away from you for so long. What you did... that's my fault, too. I'm sorry." Chara's eyes clamped shut. "I'm sorry I took Mom away from you."

"Chara. What I did was my own fault, not yours. It was my choice. Don't blame yourself for that." Asgore's hug buried Chara; he felt the fur on Asgore's arms through his shirt. "You fixed your own mistakes; I will have to deal with mine."

"Dad... just don't give up, okay? I've been more of an idiot than you have; if I can change, so can you." Chara rubbed his Dad's side as the hug tightened. "Besides, you did help break the barrier. If those souls hadn't been there, things wouldn't have turned out this way."

"That still doesn't make what I did right."

"No. But it's still true."

Chara felt the sigh through his Dad's chest. "Thank you, Chara." Asgore's massive hand patted Chara's back before he stepped back. "We should probably try to answer a few more letters before it's time to go, shouldn't we?"

"Okay-" Chara was interrupted by a knock at the door before Asriel came in.

"The cookies are done! And Mom says we should change for the meeting."

"Thanks, Asriel." Chara took one of the cookies. "Mm, cinnamon."

Asgore took the other cookie and smiled. "Thank you, Asriel. I will be ready soon."

"See you, Dad!" Asriel left, followed by Chara.

Asgore watched them go, then bit into his cookie and closed his eyes. (Even better than I remembered.) He swallowed and went to his wardrobe to change.

x******x

Toriel inspected Asgore and her sons in the hallway. She had chosen one of her formal robes, and the embroidered Delta Rune shimmered gold against the purple cloth. Asgore had selected one of his better robes as well, and the gold trim on his shoulders glowed. Chara and Asriel were both presentable in their green and yellow striped shirts; Frisk was as well, though Chara's clothing hung a little on his smaller frame. They would need to make some new clothes for him, but these would do for the time being.

"Are we ready, Toriel?" Asgore asked.

"Yes, I think so. I hope-ah, there they are." A knock sounded at the door.

"H-hi!" "May we enter?"

"Certainly."

"THANKS!" Papyrus and Gaster walked in with Alphys between them. Alphys was wearing another lab coat, this one a near-spotless white. Gaster had another of his purple jackets. Unlike his regular clothes, this one was clean and lacked pockets. He had also changed from cargo pants to a pair of pocketless slacks. Gaster's method of compensating for his loss of pockets was clear from the bag in his right hand, which was full to bursting with notebooks, pens and scraps of paper. And Papyrus...

"Papyrus, are you okay? What happened? Where's Sans?"

"I AM FINE, ASRIEL. I TRIPPED AND FELL WHILE I WAS CARRYING SANS DOWN THE MOUNTAIN, BUT WE ARE BOTH ALL RIGHT. I HAD A HEADACHE FROM THE COFFEE FOR A WHILE, BUT IT IS GONE NOW. SANS IS GETTING THE EQUIPMENT AND SAYS HE WILL MEET YOU AT THE BOTTOM."

Asriel squinted at Papyrus. "Um... you've got some bark on your head."

"OH, THANKS." Papyrus reached up and rubbed his skull. "I RAN INTO A TREE, BUT WE'RE BOTH FINE."

"Are you sure?"

"YES, THANK YOU. DON'T WORRY, IT TAKES MORE THAN THAT TO HARM THE GREAT PAPYRUS!"

Gaster winked as Papyrus posed. "They are both well, I assure you. And we really should be going if we are to arrive in time."

"But what about Sans? We have not seen him pass through here, and if he is bringing the equipment, he will be slower than we are," Toriel said.

"Sans will be there in time, I am certain," Gaster said.

"Actually," Alphys said, "he might be there before us."

Toriel looked at the two of them and frowned. "I will trust you. But I would like an explanation about this later."

Gaster nodded. "Of course. For the time being, however, shall we proceed?"

"Yes. It is time for our first official meeting with the humans."

"Let's hope it goes okay," Chara said under his breath.


	23. Chapter 23

CHAPTER 23

"Is this the turnoff?" Mr. Feldman asked.

"Yes, dear," Mrs. Feldman said. Their silver minivan rolled off of the highway and onto the park road. The mayor's car was parked in the shade of a tree, but the mayor was nowhere in sight.

"Looks like we're a little early."

"Not very," Mrs. Feldman said, taking out her cellphone. "It's 10 minutes to 11. I hope Sam will be in time-" "Look behind us."

A rust-spotted green car was making the turn into the park. As it pulled into a space in the shade next to them, the engine noise made them both wince.

"Sam, you should tell Ed you need something better than this," Mr. Feldman said as the sheriff got out and put on his hat.

"Yeah, I know. But cycling through his inventory's been great for our unmarked patrol. He's running out of rigs we haven't used yet, though, so we're scraping the bottom of his car lot."

Mrs. Feldman opened the green car's passenger door and took out a doughnut box. "I just hope you don't end up needing a tow back to town."

"Ah, it'll be fine. I can always get one of the deputies to come out if this heap dies; our deal says that if a car craps out, it's on Ed to get it back. Won't make him happy, but..." The sheriff shrugged.

"We can give you a ride back if your car dies." Mr. Feldman lifted the doughnut box's lid and peered inside. "Ah." He grinned.

Mrs. Feldman rolled her eyes as the sheriff chuckled. "Yeah, I remembered your fritters, Jake."

"Thanks. Love those things."

"Got a couple bear claws for the mayor, too," the sheriff said as the group walked towards the Mercedes. The mayor was still inside talking on his cell phone, and held up a finger as he saw them. It took him another minute to finish the call, get out and shake their hands.

"Sorry, Barry called me about the note I left him this morning. I said I was meeting with you about a possible development in your missing child case." The mayor grinned as Mrs. Feldman's forehead wrinkled. "Hey, it's true, right? And I am concerned about Frisk," he said, grin fading. "Whatever else happens, if you get Frisk back, this is a worthwhile trip."

"Well, there is the question of adoption," Mrs. Feldman said. "So long as this meeting goes well, at least."

"Yep. And it looks like we can count on at least having a meeting," the sheriff said, looking into the park. The others turned and saw a group emerging from the trees - the two large, white-furred creatures with goat-shaped faces, their smaller child, the short skeleton in a blue hoodie and sneakers, a taller skeleton in a purple jacket and navy-blue slacks carrying a bag, Frisk and another slightly larger boy, and a short, yellow-scaled reptile in a white lab coat.

The mayor took a quick breath, and Mrs. Feldman patted his shoulder. "It's all right. The Queen, at least, is quite friendly. She's the shorter white-furred one with the embroidered robe."

The mayor nodded and squared his shoulders. "Thanks. It's just... seeing them in person. Especially the skeletons." He studied the group, which was moving towards a group of picnic tables. "The Queen is... Toriel, right? The King is Asgore, the skeleton in blue is Sans. We know Frisk, the other boy is Chara, the other... child... is Asriel, and the lizard is Alphys." He frowned. "I think that would make the skeleton in purple... Gaster?"

"Sounds right," the sheriff said as they walked towards the picnic tables. "Glad you remembered the names."

"You only get one shot at a good first impression." The mayor extended his hand as the groups came together. "I'm Mayor Vartich. Pleased to meet you!"

The King and Queen looked at each other, then at him. The mayor stood with his hand outstretched and his smile stiffening. Then the blue-coated skeleton walked up and put his hand out. "pleased to meet you too, mayor. i'm sans." The mayor's smile tightened as he took the skeleton's hand-

PHPHBBRRRRTTTTTT

There was a frozen moment; then Sans pulled his bony hand and its whoopie cushion back from the mayor's.

Alphys gasped. "S-s-sans, d-did you j-j-just-"

Gaster sighed. "Sans. I very much doubt that this is proper protocol for a serious meeting."

Frisk and Asriel were trying not to smile, and failing, as Chara rolled his eyes and groaned. "Seriously, Sans?"

There was a choking noise from the picnic table; the Queen had sat down abruptly and was covering her face with her hands while the King stood next to her wide-eyed.

The mayor's face had lost its smile, but now a corner of his mouth turned up. "So... that's your idea of a greeting?"

"yep." Sans nodded. "i know this is a serious meeting, but it doesn't have to be dead-ly."

A chuckle came from behind them as Mr. Feldman put his hand over his mouth. The sheriff didn't bother hiding his own grin. The mayor's smile returned, looking more natural this time. "All right then. You said that your people have been stuck under the mountain?"

"yeah."

"Well, I hope this meeting will be en-light-ening for both sides."

Mrs. Feldman snorted, and Sans' grin widened as he chuckled. "so do we." He gestured behind him at the King and the Queen, who was wiping her eyes. "sorry about the confusion; handshakes never caught on underground."

Both groups settled around the picnic tables; Mrs. Feldman placed the doughnut box in the center, removing the lid, and the Queen set a plate of cinnamon cookies next to them. Sans' eyes lit up - literally, as the lights inside the skeleton's hollow sockets became brighter and larger. It was a disconcerting but interesting sight. "snickerdoodles. great." The boys seemed more attracted to the doughnuts, though Chara hesitated before taking a chocolate doughnut at Mrs. Feldman's prompting. Then the meeting began.

"Do you mind if I record this?" Mayor Vartich placed his recorder on the table.

"Not at all - we intend to do so as well, if that is all right. Alphys?"

The little lizard nodded and took out her cell phone. "Okay, ready."

"Thanks. If everyone will please introduce themselves again for the recording? I'm Caspar Vartich, mayor of the city of Ebottsville." The introductions went around the picnic table, some formal ("I am Toriel, Queen of the Monsters."), some less formal ("Howdy! I'm Asriel!"), nervous ("H-hi... my name is Alphys. I'm the Royal Sci-er, Royal Engineer of the Kingdom of Monsters."), and the opposite ("hi. this voice belongs to sans the skeleton.")

"Thank you. Queen Toriel-"

"Please, Mayor Vartich, Toriel will be fine."

"All right, Toriel. And my name's Caspar. Would you start by telling us who you all are and where you've come from?"

"Certainly. A very long time ago..."

x******x

"...and so we were sealed under Mount Ebott." Toriel's voice was sober. The expressions around the picnic table matched her tone.

"Thank you, Toriel," the mayor said. "If I might ask a few questions?"

"Please, do."

"Thank you. You said that humans feared monsters because you could... take... humans' souls. Could you explain what that means?"

Toriel frowned. "It is complicated, but I will try."

"Excuse me. Perhaps I can be of assistance?" Toriel turned her head and nodded as Gaster spoke, and the skeleton continued. "The soul, as we define it, is a metaphysical construct which makes up a person's being - their memories, personality and will. Monsters' souls are bound to our bodies. When we die, we disintegrate into dust, and our souls dissipate simultaneously. Only the strongest monsters' souls, those of boss monsters-" Gaster gestured at Toriel and Asgore. "-remain after death, and then for only a moment. Humans, however, have stronger souls than monsters do, and human souls do persist after death. A monster can take a human's soul into their body, at which point we believe the two become joined; control of the body is then shared between the monster and the human." Asriel and Chara shared a quick glance.

"There are other effects as well. Since monsters' bodies are made of magic, and since the strength of our magic depends on the strength of our will - on our "determination" - a monster with a human's soul becomes far stronger, both in physical strength and in magical ability, and their appearance alters in reflection of that change. The shift is reported to be disturbing, though we have only one account of such an occurrence."

Mr. Feldman raised his hand, frowning. "Wait a minute. So you're saying that human souls are physical objects?"

"Metaphysical. Souls are not physically detectable, but can be seen and affected due to their interaction with magic."

Mr. Feldman looked at Gaster for a moment, then nodded. "All right. I'll take your word for that."

"Thank you. I assure you that my description is accurate."

"Okay." The sheriff spoke next. "I've got a question about the war. You said that when a monster takes a human's soul that the two share control, right?"

"Correct."

"So why did humans go to war with monsters? Monsters who took human souls wouldn't be able to just go and attack other humans; what you've described is... well, it's disturbing, but it's not something that should have caused a war on your whole species."

"The problem was ignorance," Toriel said. "Even before the war, the taking of a human soul by a monster had not occurred in living memory; the stories we had of such a thing happening were legendary. We ourselves only learned that the human lived on when their soul was taken after the destruction of the barrier." She bowed her head. "The humans believed that we could enslave their souls, and dominate their people; the war began because of that fear."

The mayor coughed. "You say that you only learned about this, uh, recently?"

"Yes." Toriel nodded.

"Um. Which means that... a human soul was taken?"

"Yes. Mine."

The mayor looked at Chara. "What?"

Chara sighed. "This gets really complicated."

"No kidding." Caspar shook his head. "You're saying that you came back from the dead or something?"

"Yes. Kind of."

"want me to bring out the video?"

"I think that it is time. Thank you, Sans." Toriel continued speaking as Sans stood and walked towards the treeline. "We, the monsters, only learned the full story of what occurred yesterday, and how our sons-" She gestured at Asriel, Frisk, and Chara. "-were responsible for the Barrier's destruction."

The humans shared confused glances, and the monsters uneasy ones. Mr. Feldman looked up to ask a question, and his jaw dropped. "What - is that a television set?"

"Yes, as well as a video player and a battery for powering them. Just a moment, please." Gaster stood and moved to help his brother maneuver the TV stand and equipment over to the picnic tables.

"Okay," Mr. Feldman said as the skeleton brothers positioned the television. "How the heck did you get that down from up there?" He pointed back up the mountain the monsters had come down.

"i took a shortcut."

Mr. Feldman looked up at the mountain and back down at Sans. "A shortcut. Right."

"Did you use magic or something?" the sheriff asked.

"yeah. i can explain later." Sans put in the video, then turned back to the humans. "just one thing before we start."

"Yes?" The mayor raised an eyebrow.

"please watch the video to the end before you make any judgments."

The Feldmans glanced anxiously at the boys, who were looking at the ground. The mayor shifted on the picnic bench. The sheriff nodded. "Fair enough. We'll wait until we hear the whole story to decide on anything." He glanced at the others. "Right?" He nodded at their expressions of agreement and leaned forward, eyes fixed on the screen, as Sans started the movie and the press conference began.

x******x

The movie ended with the Royal Family embracing on the stage. Sans waited a moment, then stood and turned off the television before turning to the humans' group. "okay. that's the story. wanna ask questions, or just think things over for a while?"

The mayor was staring at the ground, head in his hands, and didn't react. The Feldmans were both teary-eyed; Sans had brought a box of tissues, and the picnic table had a small pile next to the couple. The others had made use of the tissues as well, except for the sheriff. He had used his hands. Now he took a deep breath, pushed up his hat and rubbed his forehead. "That... is one heck of a story."

"yep. it is."

The sheriff looked at the brothers; they had their arms over one another's shoulders, with Asriel in the middle. He turned back to Sans. "Okay if I ask the kids a few questions?"

Frisk answered. "Sure." The brothers separated and started to stand, but the sheriff waved them back and pulled another bench over to face them instead.

"This happened yesterday?" The sheriff had taken out a recorder of his own and clipped it to his shirt pocket.

"Yes, sir." Frisk said, a serious frown on his face. "In this timeline."

"You're saying that because, to you, it's like you've been living the last few days over and over again, right?"

"Yes, sir."

"This isn't an interrogation, Frisk. This whole situation is way outside of my jurisdiction. And from what I heard, no one is going to try charging you with anything anyway."

Frisk nodded. "Okay."

"And my name's Sam."

"Okay. Thanks, Sam." The sheriff smiled as the tension in the brothers' faces eased.

"All right, biggest question first." The sheriff took a deep breath. "Are you still able to... uh, time travel?"

"Not really." Frisk was frowning again. "I mean, I can't make new Saves any longer; if I were going to go back, I'd have to go back to before Asriel and Chara got their bodies and souls back, or Reset and do everything all over again. That would mean losing my brothers." He looked at them, then back at the sheriff, face set and determined. "I'm NOT going to do that."

The sheriff watched the exchange between the brothers, and nodded at Frisk's comment. "Okay. Sorry, but I needed to ask."

"It's okay," Frisk said, glancing at Sans. "I understand."

"Thanks." Sam thought for a moment. "You all did a good job with the press conference; it covered most of what I've thought of to ask about what happened. Getting my head around HOW it happened is something else, but that'll have to wait."

"Actually," Gaster said, joining them, "a full understanding of these occurrences is something that I desire as well. My own investigation, however, is likely to be preempted by more immediate problems."

"Of course," Sam said. "If you do figure anything out, I'd appreciate it if you'd let me know. I'll leave you a card with my cell number."

"Certainly."

"Um, Sam?" The sheriff faced Frisk again. "Can I stay with Toriel?"

"Well," Sam said, with a look at the picnic table where the Feldmans, Toriel, and Asgore were filling out forms with occasional suggestions from Sans, "the Feldmans would know more about that than I would. But..." His eyes shifted to the mayor, who was still holding his head. "Mayor Vartich? Can I borrow you as a witness?"

The mayor's head jerked as he heard his name. "What?"

"Come over here a second, Caspar." Sam pulled the recorder from his pocket as the mayor walked over. "Okay, new recording. This is Samuel Abrams, Sheriff of Norcot County. The testimony in this recording is being witnessed by myself, and..."

"Caspar Vartich, Mayor of Ebottsville."

"Doctor Gaster, Royal Scientist of the Kingdom of Monsters."

"And I am interviewing..." Frisk pointed at himself, and Sam nodded.

"I'm Frisk, and I live with the Feldmans at the Ebottsville Foster Center. I don't have a last name because I haven't been adopted yet."

"Okay, Frisk. Toriel and Asgore..."

"Dreemurr," Frisk said.

"Thanks. Toriel and Asgore Dreemurr would like to adopt you. Is that correct?"

"Yes."

"Do you, Frisk, want to be adopted by the Dreemurrs as their child?"

"Yes, I do!"

Sam wished he'd brought a video recorder; Frisk's voice was enthusiastic, but it couldn't hold all of the emotion that his widened eyes, frantic nodding and beaming grin expressed. "Okay. I, Sheriff Samuel Abrams, hereby attest that Frisk has stated, without duress, that he wants to be adopted by Toriel and Asgore Dreemurr."

The mayor and Gaster repeated the formula, and the sheriff ended the recording. "All right, that takes care of that part. Filling out the adoption forms is going to be interesting, but I think that the Feldmans will be able to handle it; Jake used to be a lawyer, and sometimes I think he actually misses the paperwork." Sam grinned as he stood up.

"You got any questions, Caspar?"

The mayor was staring past the brothers, but the sheriff's question seemed to wake him. "No. Not for the kids at least. Thanks." He nodded at the children and followed Sam to the table where the Feldmans and the monsters were gathered. The adoption papers appeared mostly filled out, though Mr. Feldman had tagged some of them with sticky notes.

"Hey, Jake. Got a witnessed recording of Frisk saying he wants to be adopted. I'll send you an official copy after I get back to the office."

Mr. Feldman pushed up his reading glasses as he looked away from the paperwork. "Thanks, Sam. That'll save time." He waved at the piles of forms. "We've got most of what we need from their side, and we can finish the rest later. Fitting these circumstances into the forms is going to be fun." Mr. Feldman did not sound sarcastic.

"Another challenge for the Paper Wizard?" Sam grinned, and Jake chuckled back.

"Yeah, you know me. "Other" is my favorite answer section."

"Thankfully," Mrs. Feldman said. She leaned back and stretched before clipping the last papers together and adding them to her husband's collection.

"I thank you all for all you have done for us," Toriel said. She looked over at her sons, who had their heads together talking, then back to the Feldmans and the sheriff. "I cannot tell you adequately how grateful I am."

"Seeing Frisk find a family is thanks enough," Mrs. Feldman said.

"We're always glad to see a child find a good home. It's why we opened the orphanage," Mr. Feldman said. "We'll miss Frisk, but we always miss our kids."

"Please, visit whenever you like. We will always be glad to see you."

"Yes," Asgore said, nodding at Toriel's invitation. Then he frowned. "Though it may be a bit of a walk, until we can move outside."

Toriel glanced at Asgore, then at the mayor as he joined the conversation. "About that... if you're done with the adoption paperwork, I think it's time we continue the meeting."

"Jake?" The sheriff raised an eyebrow.

"I think we're done, Sam," Mr. Feldman said. "Like I said, I can get the rest. Unless you think we need to worry about Chara?"

The sheriff shook his head. "I don't expect that'll be a problem; he was declared dead years ago. Getting him back into the system, new Social Security number and ID, that's gonna to be something else, but no one will complain about him staying with the Dreemurrs. 50 to 1 no one else even thinks to ask."

The groups reassembled; the television cart was wheeled off, and Alphys tore herself away from her cellphone. The mayor and Alphys restarted their recordings as the meeting continued.

"Your Majesties," the mayor said, "what it is that you and the other monsters want from us? From humans?"

Toriel glanced at Asgore, who remained silent as she replied. "We want to leave the Underground and live on the surface in peace. We understand that this will require land to live upon, and we are willing to pay for it. We can build our own homes, but we will be grateful for any advice or assistance that may be offered. We also want to understand humans, and for humans to understand monsters, so that neither of our peoples will become fearful of one another through ignorance." She considered. "I think those are the most important points. Asgore?"

The king nodded at his wife's words. "We want to live in peace with humans." Asgore stopped and took a breath before continuing. "What I did... I need to apologize for that. To make up for it. But it's my fault, not the fault of all monsters."

The monster side of the table was silent after Asgore's pronouncement. The Feldmans looked concerned; the sheriff's expression was thoughtful as he looked at the King's bowed head. The mayor broke the silence with a cough. "That's, um, something we can discuss later. For now, let's move on."

"Agreed." Mr. Feldman looked at the lowering sun. "I think we should use the rest of this meeting to identify the largest difficulties we're likely to have. That'll give everyone a chance to think about solutions before we meet next."

"A practical approach," Gaster said. "If I may suggest the next point of discussion? Thank you. Humans and monsters are different, obviously; we have already discussed the necessity of educating monsters about humans, especially concerning differences of biology and magical reaction."

"And differences in magical reaction means what, exactly?" Sam raised an eyebrow.

Frisk cleared his throat. "Well, monsters are made of magic. It's part of who and what they are. And a monster's magic reflects their emotions and intentions. If a monster uses magic on another monster, and they don't mean to hurt them, then they won't be hurt. It... um... doesn't work like that with humans." Frisk swallowed. "I mean..."

"Monsters' magic can displace human souls from their bodies," Chara said. "Even if the monster doesn't intend to cause harm. But they're vulnerable, too. Since monsters are made of magic, and monster magic is made of emotion and intent, hate hurts monsters more than physical attacks do." Chara closed his eyes and shivered before continuing. "You heard how Mom described the war. Monsters are more vulnerable to humans than humans are to monsters. We'll make sure that monsters won't accidentally hurt humans, but we need to make sure humans won't hurt monsters either."

The sheriff rubbed his mustache. "Hmm. Most people mean well, most of the time, but there'll always be some troublemakers. On the other hand, we already have laws against assault. People are people, whatever they look like..." Sam's voice trailed off as his forehead furrowed; then he shook his head. "Sorry. Short version is, humans and monsters are different, and we need to educate each side about the other. That it?"

"Correct," Gaster said. "Chara has agreed to help instruct monsters about humans."

"And I can help humans understand monsters," Frisk said. "It's just about being careful. As long as a human isn't trying to hurt a monster, they won't, at least not very much. To really hurt one of them, you have to want to."

The sheriff nodded. "That's good to know. Anything else?"

"Um... excuse me, sorry." Frisk stood and walked quickly towards one of the campground's public toilets.

The monsters watched him go with varying degrees of surprise. "What is he doing?" Asgore said, looking confused.

"U-um..." Alphys said, face reddenning. "Humans... use bathrooms, Asgore."

The king looked at her, and his eyes widened. "Oh, right! I'd forgotten."

Mr. Feldman blinked. "Wait. You're saying that monsters... don't use bathrooms?"

"W-well," Alphys said, her face blushing further, "no. Y-you see... um..."

"Monsters are made more of magic than of physical material," Gaster said. "Our bodies do not assimilate physical substances in the same way as human or animal bodies. So far as I can determine, food consumed by monsters is turned into magic, and the process produces no waste products to excrete. The intent of the food's preparer has an effect on the consumer, but the physical substance of the food has no apparent consequence." He shrugged. "This is regrettably speculative; my own experiments to test the effects of calcium intake on my bone structure have produced no observable results to date. The gross facts, however, are quite definite."

Mr. Feldman nodded, looking rather dazed. "Oh, okay."

"short version," Sans said, "is that monsters don't give a crap." He winked as the humans tried not to smile. "when we eat, the food turns to magic and we absorb it. nothing solid left. monster food seems to work the same for humans, too. right, chara?"

"Yes, it does," Chara said, nodding. "I quit needing to, um, go, after a while in the Underground."

Mrs. Feldman's eyes widened. "That's... how long have you lived on, ah, monster food, Chara?"

"Over a year," Chara said. "Before... all this, anyway." He swallowed hard.

"And you're still in good health? No gum sensitivity? Cramps? Skin trouble? Anything?"

"No." Chara shook his head. "Nothing like that."

"Gertrude." Mr. Feldman put a hand on his wife's shoulder. She looked at him in surprise, then back to Chara's pale face.

"I'm sorry," Mrs. Feldman said. "It can wait. But... healthful food that doesn't require digestion? That's... amazing."

"It is something I would like to study as well," Gaster said. He sighed. "There is so much to learn, and so little time to do it in."

The mayor lifted his head and blinked. "Time. You said that you were experimenting with time travel."

"Yes. It nearly destroyed me; in fact, it previously had."

"it got complicated," Sans said, as the mayor put his head in his hands again.

"Uh huh." The sheriff looked at Caspar cradling his head, then at Frisk as he returned to the group. "Maybe we'd better save that story for later; I think we've gotten the main points, and it's getting late." Sam stood, and the others followed his example. "We'll need to meet again, but we can figure that out later, too." He reached down, turned off the mayor's recorder, and handed it to him; the mayor took it after a moment. His eyes were distant. "You doing okay, Caspar?"

The mayor nodded slowly. "Yes. I just need to think things over for a while."

Mrs. Feldman patted his shoulder. "Don't worry. You'll feel better after a night's rest." She chuckled, and Caspar nodded, smiling.

"Thanks. You would know, of course." The mayor sighed. "But this is just the beginning. We need to inform the state government, the federal government, the media..." He rubbed his face.

"I'll be at your office first thing tomorrow," the sheriff said.

"And I'll get Frisk's clothes and belongings together and meet you here tomorrow," Mrs. Feldman said to Toriel. "Unless... Frisk, would you like to come back and say goodbye to everyone?"

Frisk looked at his brothers, then at Mrs. Feldman. "I would, but... maybe later?"

"Of course, dear."

"Thank you." Frisk walked over to the mayor. "Mr. Vartich?"

The mayor blinked and looked down at Frisk. "Yes?"

"Can I get your phone number, and give you mine? I'm kind of the monster's ambassador, at least for now, since I'm the best person to answer questions about them."

"Ambassador, huh?" Caspar said,smiling. "Sure." He brought out his wallet, and gave Frisk a card. "There's my number."

"Thanks. Um, could I get your personal number as well? Just for emergencies," he said quickly. "I know you're going to be really busy."

The mayor raised an eyebrow. "You didn't even look at the card."

"I've... done this before," Frisk said. "In one of the timelines that I Reset. It's been a while, but I remember your card only has the mayor's office and official cell number."

The mayor blinked and rubbed his face again. "I'm sorry," Frisk said. "I know our story is crazy. And I know we're going to cause a lot of trouble. We really don't want to cause problems, everyone just wants to be on the surface again." He swallowed. "We all just want to come home."

Caspar looked at Frisk's tense face. "I understand. And I'll try to help. Hand me that card a second." He wrote quickly on the back. "There; the first number is mine, the second is my assistant's. One of them should always get to me."

Frisk took the card back and nodded. "Thank you. Your assistant is Barry Schmidt, right?"

"Right." The mayor stared, and Frisk reddened slightly.

"I'm better at remembering names."

"That's handy for an ambassador," Caspar said. "And I can get your number from the Feldmans."

"I'll text you," Frisk said quickly. "And I'll make sure to keep my phone with me. If there's any question I can answer or something I can help with just ask me, any time."

"That sounded polished." Caspar chuckled, and Frisk joined in.

"Yeah. I had to say that a lot, so-"

"Aw, hell!" The exclamation made them both turn to look as the sheriff got out of his car and raised its hood with a rusty groan. "Jake, you wanna try turning this over?" He watched the motor as Mr. Feldman tried to start the car and shook his head. "Guess it's finally kicked the bucket. I'll call Ed and tell him he needs a tow truck."

"Um, do you mind if I look at it?" Sam looked down at the little yellow lizard, who was standing on the bumper and peering at the engine. "I think I know what's wrong."

"You worked on one of these before?"

"No, but it's a simple design. I just need a few tools."

The sheriff shrugged. "Well, I've got a toolbox in the trunk, and I think the manual is in here somewhere. But this is Ed's problem."

"I want to help. Besides, this should be fun." The lizard smiled at him, showing a set of protruding front teeth.

"Okay, if you're sure."

"I'm sure!" She turned back to the engine, and Sam went to get the toolbox. The motor was shot; it couldn't hurt to let her try to fix it. And Tyler wouldn't mind picking him up if she failed. The deputy was always happy when something happened to make his shift less boring, especially if that meant driving.


	24. Chapter 16

CHAPTER 16

"Okay, so," Undyne said, turning to face Alphys as Toriel and the brothers vanished into the hall. "How far have you guys gotten on the whole "moving out of the underground" thing?"

"W-well," Alphys said, "so far we've mostly been figuring out what we need to know about the humans and what we need to arrange for so that things will go well. The first problem we came to is where to live; we'll need somewhere to build houses and eventually a city."

"Makes sense; what do we do about it?"

"Ask the humans who owns the ground outside and what we might do to get some, to start. Apparently the mountain is part of some kind of park, and it's owned by their government, so we'll have to talk to them if we want to live on the mountain."

Gaster looked up from his notebook. "How is the humans' government organized? Who are their leaders?"

"That's... complicated," Alphys said. "From what Frisk told us, apparently we're someplace in the northwest of a country, an organized group of humans, called the 'United States.' We still aren't quite sure of how their government works, but the humans all choose new leaders every few years. There's one main leader, the President, and then a lot of different leaders from different parts of the country, their 'states.' It's supposed to keep anyone from getting too much power."

Undyne shook her head and grimaced. "That's crazy! How do they decide on anything?"

"Well, it takes a long time, especially when the leaders don't agree. But this way everyone is supposed to have a leader who agrees with them, so what everyone thinks will get heard. That's what this book says, anyway." Alphys held up a stained and water-damaged book with the words "United States Government - Civics 101" readable, with effort, on the cover. "It sounds like we're going to be talking to the local village or city leader, their 'mayor,' and to the people who run the orphanage Frisk is from. We're hoping they'll help us plan our exodus from the underground, and figure out how to do it without scaring anyone."

"Would you lend me that book later, Alphys?"

"Of course, Gaster."

"Thank you. Had you gotten beyond arrangements for new homes? I think I heard something when I was below about needing to explain how humans worked to monsters?"

Alphys sighed. "Yeah. That's going to be hard."

Undyne frowned. "Why? Humans are tougher than we are, aren't they?"

"Their bodies are, Undyne, but their souls... Well, you remember what fighting Frisk and Chara was like?"

"Sure; I remember not being able to land a hit. And I was trying to kill them then!"

"But many of the monsters that Frisk met weren't trying to k-kill him, or even to hurt him, and their magic still injured him." Alphys face drooped. "Humans aren't like us, Undyne; not wanting to hurt them doesn't make our magic safe for them. If Frisk hadn't been able to go back in time and try again when he was too hurt, he would have never made it past the monsters who weren't even trying to attack him."

"Well... dang." Undyne rubbed her head. "You're right. That's gonna make humans and monsters living in peace tough. Any ideas how to get around that?"

"We'd just started talking about it when Sans and Gaster came in."

"yeah, chara was talking about what would happen if someone like vulkin started hugging a human. probably hurt 'em bad, maybe kill them."

"And that would make humans fear us again." Asgore's voice was somber. "That is why the first war began; because humans were afraid of monsters, and of what we might do with their souls."

"Yes," Toriel said as she came back into the dining room. "We must find a way to prevent such things from happening before everyone moves out of the Underground."

"Indeed," Gaster said. "The most effective solution would be to set up a system of instruction for monsters leaving the underground, to explain proper methods for interacting with humans. The alternative would be segregation of monsters from humans, which would almost certainly lead to problems in the long run."

"you're talking about a training school for monsters?"

"Yes, Sans."

"That seems sensible. However, that still leaves further questions," Toriel said.

"WHO WOULD TEACH MONSTERS ABOUT HUMANS?"

"Exactly," Gaster said. "Frisk or Chara would be the most obvious choices, but that might be asking too much of them."

"we can ask 'em what they think in the morning. for now, let's move on; there's another problem that's gonna come up right away we'd better think about."

"And what is that, Sans?"

"How we got out. What I did." Asgore stared at the table.

"yeah, that. and besides that, what happened with asriel, chara, and frisk. hearing the full story was a shock for everyone. you were all at the press conference, and you know how it was hearing it for the first time. i can't even guess what the humans will think after hearing about what happened."

"Neither can I, without more information on humans. On the other hand, we are going to meet with some humans tomorrow-"

"Hold on, Gaster!" Undyne said. "You wanna tell the humans that Asriel and Chara tried destroying the world?"

"I think that we need to consider how we shall explain the full story to the humans, Undyne. Trying to keep the story secret from them will only lead to eventual discovery, and to distrust because of our secrecy. Every monster is going to know the story, if they do not already. Considering that, secrecy is impossible long-term."

"yeah. it would only take one human asking one monster about it, and bam! secret's out."

"Indeed," Gaster said. "So we must consider how to explain what happened without alarming the humans more than necessary. And since the humans we are to meet tomorrow are friends of Frisk's, they are more likely to be a sympathetic audience. They can tell us how the story is likely to influence other humans."

Toriel nodded. "Mrs. Feldman seemed like a nice woman; if her husband is the same, I would agree that telling them the full story and asking their advice should be done. However, I think we should wait to see what kind of person the mayor is before raising the subject tomorrow."

"Yes."

Alphys raised her hand. "Um, how are we going to tell them? D-do you think Frisk, Chara and Asriel would be up to it?"

"actually... i grabbed an extra copy of the recording mettaton made, without his commentary. for historical purposes." Sans winked. "if alphys has a spare television and video player to borrow, we should be able to use that."

"Of course! I've got some in my lab. And I can fix up a battery to run them, no problem."

"Good." Toriel smiled. "Let us finish our meeting first, however. Are we agreed that we should create a school to teach monsters how to act with humans, and that we should ask Frisk and Chara in the morning if they would be willing and able to help teach?"

There was a chorus of "Yes" from around the table.

"Do we also agree that we should ask the Feldmans, and perhaps the mayor, to hear the story of how we were freed from the Underground and ask them for guidance in understanding what humans will think after hearing the story?"

The "Yes" chorus repeated itself.

"Then I think we may consider those matters temporarily settled; we can better decide how to put those plans into effect after our meeting tomorrow. Unless someone else has thought of something that we should consider before morning?" Toriel waited, but heard only silence. "Then I suggest that we all go and get some rest, and meet here again in the morning."

Undyne was the first up. "C'mon Papyrus." Papyrus was the next to stand, but he paused as Sans stood and walked over to Gaster and Alphys.

"SANS? GASTER? ARE YOU COMING?"

"in a while, paps. we're just gonna help alphys with the equipment for tomorrow."

Gaster looked at Sans, then Alphys, and nodded. "Yes, that would be a good idea. It was morning when I used the time machine, so I am still well rested; helping Alphys will give me time to discuss what has happened while I was gone."

Alphys took a deep breath, then nodded. "Y-yes. That would... be for the best, I think."

"You gonna need some help carrying stuff?" Undyne asked.

Alphys shook her head. "No, I d-don't think so. We'll probably just get everything ready for tomorrow."

"DOES THAT MEAN YOU WILL NOT BE COMING HOME TONIGHT?"

"No, we will return. But it may be rather late, or even early, by that time."

"THAT WILL BE FINE. I CAN MAKE SPAGHETTI FOR YOU WHILE I WAIT."

"You've taken up cooking while I was gone, Papyrus? Wonderful! I look forward to seeing what your food is like."

Papyrus' eyes lit up. "I'LL GO START RIGHT NOW!" He raced out of the dining room, raising a cloud of dust as he went.

"just make sure to keep things cool, undyne. if you turn up the heat again we'll have to find another house, and we're kinda short on those."

"Can it, bonehead!"

"hey, good one. guess my ribbing is rubbing off on ya."

"NGAAHH!" Undyne glared at Sans, then looked at Toriel as she giggled. "So Papyrus and I should be back in the morning, right?"

"Actually," Toriel said, "it might be better if you and Papyrus stayed behind tomorrow; there are going to be many people eager to ask questions, and to leave, and we do not want to overwhelm the humans or make them think we are invading. If the Royal Guard can maintain order, it would be most helpful."

Undyne looked at Asgore, who nodded. "Toriel is right, Undyne. I can't think of anyone better to lead the Royal Guard in keeping people calm. And if we make Papyrus an honorary Royal Guard, he'd be a big help explaining things to everyone."

Undyne grinned. "Yeah. It okay if I tell him when I get back to the house? That would really make this the greatest day ever for him."

"That should be fine."

"Awesome!" Undyne gave a fist-pump, then walked over to Alphys. "I'll see you tomorrow, then." She hesitated, then bent down and hugged the dinosaur. "Love you, Alphys. Good night." Alphys blushed, then leaned in, returning Undyne's hug. "I love you too, Undyne. Good night."

Undyne held Alphys for another moment, then looked up, red-cheeked, at the faces smiling at them. "Good night, Undyne," Toriel said.

"Y-yeah." Undyne nodded, then shook her head vigorously. "I'm gonna go catch up to Papyrus. Gotta make sure he doesn't burn the house down!" Undyne turned and rushed out of the house.

Toriel looked after her, still smiling, then at Alphys. Alphys was looking after Undyne, still blushing, with a large smile across her face. Sans looked down at her as well, then at Gaster, who lifted his bag and followed Sans towards the door. Their movement attracted Alphys' attention, and her blush deepened as she hopped off of her chair and scurried after them.

"Good night to you all."

"Good night, everyone!"

"Good night, Your Majesties."

"good night, guys."

"G-good night!"

The departures left Asgore and Toriel alone at the kitchen table; an uneasy silence fell between them. Asgore broke the stillness. "Your room is still the same, Toriel, but I'm afraid it's a bit... dusty. Want some help cleaning up?"

"Thank you, Asgore, but I think I will be fine." Toriel rose. "Good night."

"Good night." Asgore hesitated. "Toriel?"

"Yes, Asgore?"

"...Nothing. Sorry."

"Very well." Toriel turned and walked into the hall, leaving Asgore staring at the table. He closed his eyes, and reached for his napkin to catch the tears.


	25. Chapter 24

CHAPTER 24

"Okay, done!" Alphys wiped her hands on a rag and looked at Sam. "S-sorry I took so long. I j-just kept finding things that needed a little care."

"Didn't seem long to me." The sheriff considered her speed unbelievable. She'd taken under an hour; he thought the entire motor had been disassembled at one point or another, but now everything was back together. The mayor and the Feldmans had offered to stay in case he needed a ride, but he'd refused. They had things to do, and watching Alphys at work had reminded him of Taylor. That old goat knew more about cars than the rest of his mechanics combined; Sam would put 10-1 that the pint-sized dinosaur was even better.

Most of the other monsters had left as well, after exchanging a few parting words with him and the other humans. The sole exception was the shorter skeleton, Sans. He'd left with the others, wheeling the television stand away into the trees, but came back a few minutes later without it. Sans and Sam had assisted Alphys, mostly with handling the heavier engine parts and holding things in place when she asked. The skeleton's ability to move things with magic was amazing to watch. He had rescued more than a few dropped parts and tools during the project, though his magic wasn't precise enough to line up bolt-holes. The sheriff had needed to position parts for Alphys as Sans held them.

Now it was time to see how they'd done. He got into the car and turned the key; the engine started immediately. It seemed strangely quiet after the racket he'd put up with on his trip out. It wasn't purring, exactly, but... could an motor sound happy?

He got out, leaving the car running. "Thanks, Doc," he said, offering a hand. "Oh, I forgot."

"I-it's fine!" Alphys took the hand before he could draw it back and gave a light squeeze. "I'm kind of a human fan."

"Really?"

"Yes! I think humans are cool - you have such amazing technology, and anime, and-" She broke off, blushing. "S-sorry, you want to leave, don't you, you've been w-waiting a long time already-"

Sam smiled down at the nervous dinosaur. "You did a great job. Now I don't have to call Ed, and he doesn't have to call for a tow truck."

"you did good, alphys," Sans said, patting Alphys' shoulder. "i'd say you've earned some good car-ma." He winked as Alphys groaned, then looked at Sam. "would you do me a favor?"

The sheriff rubbed his mustache. "Maybe. Depends what you're asking for."

"nothing big. just a ride into town. that's where you're going, right?"

"Sure, but then you'll be stuck there."

"nah. i'll just take a shortcut home."

The sheriff looked down at Sans' permanent grin and shook his head. "It's not a short drive. You'd be walking all night to get back."

"sam. if you give me a ride, i'll be back before bedtime. as long as the drive doesn't take too long."

"...Okay. I'll do it if you'll do me a favor back. I want to know what you're calling a shortcut."

Sans looked back at the sheriff for a long moment, then nodded. "okay. just give me a minute to take alphys home."

"Hey, I'm coming with you guys! What if the car breaks again?"

"c'mon, alphys. we both know that's not happening."

"It's fine by me if Alphys wants to come along," Sam said. He walked to the passenger door and opened it. "But I do need to get a move on." Alphys scrambled into the car, followed by Sans; the sheriff got in the driver's seat, and the rusty green car pulled out of the park onto the highway.

"So," the sheriff said. "What do you want to ask me?"

Alphys looked from him to Sans, who was slouched in the passenger's seat with her between them. "heh. yeah, i do have a question. now that you've heard our story, what do you think? and what will the rest of the humans think?"

"Hmm." Sam turned on the headlights, then rubbed his mustache. "The first thing most people will react to is the idea of monsters taking human souls. But the boys made it pretty clear that it isn't death or slavery, that the human is still there and... alive, I guess. Pointing that out should help reassure folks. So will adopting the boys." The sheriff snorted. "There'll always be people afraid of anyone who's different. But it's a hard sell that someone hates humans when they're adopting human kids as family. As royalty, even."

"uh huh." Sans slouched lower, eyes nearly closed. "how about asgore?"

The sheriff took a quick breath and put his left hand back on the wheel. "That's... going to be tougher." Alphys watched him anxiously as his knuckles whitened. "Killing kids. That's not something we - humans - can just overlook." Sam glared at the highway, then sighed as his hands started regaining their color. "I know losing his own sons must've hurt. But that doesn't excuse what he did. And keeping it up for so many years..." The sheriff shook his head, keeping his eyes on the road. "It's gonna depend on how he handles it. He seems to regret it. Does he?"

"Yes." The sheriff glanced at Sans, raising an eyebrow. "he regrets it, sam. he knows he has to try and make up for it. dunno how he'll do it, though."

"Uh huh." The sheriff nodded, then started rubbing his mustache again. "Getting back to the question you started with, though. Those kids and their story are going to be big. Now, people are different, but... the way that story hit me, I think it'll help. Whole thing seemed to be about fixing mistakes. If you can get everyone to look at the war between humans and monsters as a mistake, and your people coming back as that mistake being fixed, I think things will work out." Sam chuckled. "And I figure Frisk will be the model for doing that. He's a great kid, and now he's forgiving and representing the monsters that attacked him?" He glanced over at a gasp from Alphys. "Sorry, ma'am."

"I-it's all right." Alphys swallowed. "B-but not all of those monsters were trying to hurt Frisk. They just didn't understand what their magic was doing to him."

"Yeah. That's something else we'll have to work out. Easier from our side; all we have to do is not attack you, and there're laws against assault already. Unless..."

"unless what?"

"Chara said that hate hurts you folks. If someone hates you but doesn't attack you, does that still harm you? Just trying to avoid problems," he said as Alphys took a hissing breath.

"well, that's kinda yes and no." Sans held up a hand and waggled it, eyes still closed. "just hating someone won't kill 'em. not without doing something more direct, like hitting them. but if it's strong enough, you can feel it." He opened his eyes and looked at the sheriff. "we don't get sick the way humans do. but i think that being near someone who hates you is kind of like having a cold, or the flu. and if they really want to kill you, it feels like... eh, i can't describe it. wouldn't want to, anyway. but you can feel it when they're close."

The car had slowed as the sheriff looked back at Sans; the lights in his sockets had nearly gone out as he spoke. Then the skeleton shrugged, and his eyes brightened. "sorry, bad memories. short answer is, no. all that hating us does is make us feel bad. to hurt us, you'd have to do more than that."

Sam nodded and looked back at the road. "Thanks. Though, I gotta wonder. If monsters don't get sick, how do you know what it feels like?"

Sans settled back in the seat again. "there's a place in the underground where a river falls down from the surface. a lot of stuff that humans throw away ends up there. sometimes we find books." He nestled further into the seat. "alphys always kept an eye out for textbooks while she was out searching."

"Oh, really?"

"W-well, yes. We wanted to know what was happening outside. Gaster asked me to watch for books, and we could always use more parts. And it was where I found my videos! I still remember finding my first Mew Mew Kissie Cutie video - it was in this plastic box and I almost missed it, but I saw the edge of the pink case and wanted to see what it was, so I pulled it out and wiped it off and-" Alphys noticed Sam's raised eyebrow, and blushed. "S-sorry..."

"It's all right. You sound kind of like our dispatcher, Sarah. I'll bet you two would really hit it off; remind me to give you her number."

"Thank you! Th-that would be great. There aren't that many anime fans in the Underground - I made an anime website, but I only have five followers."

"You have Internet down there?"

"Yes, the Undernet. Gaster and I made it after we learned about the human Internet - it's a lot smaller, though. There aren't nearly as many of us as there are humans. I was checking out your Internet on my phone earlier, and the Mew Mew Wiki has more contributors than the population of New Home!"

"Huh." The sheriff rubbed his mustache again. "Do you think you could make a website on our Internet?"

"I think so; it didn't seem that different. Why?"

"You're trying to explain your people to humans. A website might be a good way to get the word out."

"Really?" Alphys' face lit up with a broad smile.

"sounds good to me," Sans said. "it might work the other way, too. i'll ask the boys to help make a website about humans on the undernet."

"Ooh, right! I'll start as soon as we get back. Are we there yet?"

"Not yet." Sam gestured to a glow on the horizon. "Ebbottsville is that way; we've got a few miles to go. We passed the orphanage a while back, by the way."

"okay. want us to get out of sight? we don't want to scare anyone."

"No need. It's pretty quiet most of the time; our neck of the woods doesn't have that many people. The night-life we do have is by the college and the bars on the north end of town. The sheriff's office is on this side of town, and we'll be there in a few minutes."

"anyone there?"

"My deputy Tyler is on night shift. He'll be at the front desk, and we can park in back without being spotted."

"thanks. i'd rather keep my shortcut demonstration to just us."

"All right." The sheriff pulled off of the road into a lit parking lot, and stopped next to a pickup with the Northcott County sheriff's office logo on the door. "And we're here."

"great." Sans gestured at a dark corner of the lot as they left the car. "that looks like a good spot."

"So how does this work?" Sam asked as they walked into the shadows.

"not much to see, really. you mind if i send you home first, alphys?"

"Just a second." Alphys looked at her phone for a moment, then nodded. "Okay, I'm ready."

"finished reading the latest anime news?"

"N-no! I did that earlier! I just wanted to get numbers for the sheriff's office."

"and sarah?" "Well, y-yes. A-anyway, I'm ready now."

"okay." Sans' left eye lit his head with a blue glow, and fluorescent light illuminated the darkness as an opening to Alphys' lab appeared.

"Thanks, Sans. See you tomorrow!"

"'night, alphys. later." Sans' left hand lowered after Alphys stepped through the opening, and the light disappeared.

"So... that's what you call a shortcut?" The sheriff's voice was still calm, but his eyes were intent as he stared at the skeleton.

"yep." Sans' voice was unchanged, still cheerful-sounding. "something i picked up years ago looking for someone. i've kept it a secret - people would always be asking for a lift otherwise. but that makes it kind of hard to use, so i've started letting a few people in on it. i'd still appreciate it if you didn't mention it to anyone."

"So you're trusting me with your secret, huh?"

"yep. think that's a bad idea?"

Sam snorted. "No. But you've only got my word for that."

"i've had some practice at judging people's character. i'm willing to bet you're honest."

"A bet, huh? What odds?"

"hmm... i don't usually do odds. call it... 99 percent certain. probably better than that, but i've made mistakes before."

"Well, thanks. I appreciate that."

"you're welcome. oh, and thanks for letting alphys help, by the way."

"Are you kidding? She's the best mechanic I've ever seen."

"i mean it. she's good, but she has a hard time believing it. i'm glad you gave her a chance. and... thanks for being willing to give the rest of us a chance, too."

The sheriff sighed. "I'm just trying to be fair. You folks have had a hard time, and haven't deserved it; not most of you. As far as I'm concerned you're just people like anyone else." He chuckled. "Well, not quite like anyone else."

"yeah. you don't see many skeletons walking around these days with no meat on their bones. well, i'd better go. 'night, sam."

"See you later, Sans."

x******x

The sheriff looked through the glass front of the sheriff's department and saw Tyler slouched at the front desk, staring at a cell phone. His mustache twitched. He opened the door gently, then hopped over the visitor sensor's beam. The noise from the phone covered his footsteps as he eased up behind Tyler, looking over his shoulder. His deputy leaned back further, attention absorbed by the racing video.

"So, who's winning?"

Tyler's head jerked around, eyes wide, as he stared at Sam's smirk. "Sheriff! I, uh-"

"You're trying to stay awake." Sam smiled as his deputy's face flushed. "Relax. I know that the night shift is dead boring most of the time. Just keep an eye on the front door." He glanced at the deputy's radio handset. "And make sure you can hear dispatch if there's a call."

"Yes, sir." Tyler's face was losing its red glow. "My radio's turned up; no way I'd miss that."

"Good." The sheriff nodded. "Now, I want you to make some notes for tomorrow. First, we need a new car from Ed; the Green Gremlin died on me today. I got lucky, and someone stopped and helped me with it, but it's on its last legs."

"Yes, sir," Tyler said as he pulled out a pen.

"Next, have Taylor look at the Gremlin tomorrow. It's parked in the back lot."

"Okay, got it." Tyler looked up as he finished writing. "Uh, sir? I thought you were off shift a few hours ago."

"Got a tip about the kid missing from the Feldman's orphanage; I was following up on it."

Tyler straightened. "Did you find him? Sir?"

"Yeah, and he's alive and well. I'm going to the office to write up the report before I leave."

"Great!" The deputy's face broke into a broad smile. "Where was he?"

"Seems he decided to climb Mount Ebott."

Tyler's jaw dropped. "No way. Why?"

"I'll tell you later, Ty. Right now I'm going to write my report and go home before I fall over."

"Sorry, sir."

"It's all right. Kid's found now; that's the main thing."

Tyler nodded. "Yeah. Anything else, sir?"

"Nope. Just make sure Vinnie sees your notes when you trade shifts."

"I will."

"Good." Sam covered a yawn, then walked to his office. He wanted that report done now for two reasons. First, because it was always best practice to write while events were still fresh in his memory. And second, because in the morning he might start doubting that those events had actually happened. "Least I still have the recording," he mumbled as his computer powered up. "Wonder how Caspar's gonna handle all this?"

x******x

"Are you all right, dear?" Toriel asked Chara. She was reading by the fireplace in her old chair. Asgore had returned to answering letters, and her sons were drawing together at the table. But Chara was shifting restlessly in his seat; something seemed to be bothering him.

Chara bit his lip before speaking. "Um, Mom? Do you have a bucket I can use?"

"A bucket? Certainly, but what might you want a bucket for?"

"Do you remember the first few days after I fell?"

"Yes; you were hurt, and we healed you."

"And you remember that I asked for a bucket then, too?"

"Not... really? I-oh!" Her eyes widened. "Oh, of course! I am sorry, I will go find one right away. I think that behind the house will be a suitable place for it. Oh dear, and you will need cloths and a bucket of water, will you not?"

"Not this time." Chara smiled and held up a roll of toilet paper. "I grabbed this from the toilets at the campground."

"Oh, that is good. I am glad that you remembered. I will be back soon."

Toriel hurried out, and Asriel looked at Chara. "Um, Chara? What's happening?" Then his eyes widened in horror. "Oh, no, not again!" Tears came to his eyes, and he grabbed Chara. "Y-you're going to be all right, aren't you?"

"Asriel, what is it?" Frisk put a hand on Asriel's shoulder. "This is normal."

"This time is normal, Asriel. I'll be fine." Chara rubbed Asriel's back as Asriel clung to him, and looked at Frisk. "The last time I needed a bucket... that was when I'd eaten the buttercups." He looked down at Asriel. "This time it's just the donut."

"R-really?"

"Yes." Chara smiled at his brother and rubbed his head between the horns. "Frisk already went down below before we left; I didn't have anything inside me to start with, so it took longer to go through."

"Oh. Okay." Asriel smiled back, but then wrinkled his nose and face. "Ohhh. Eewww."

"Yeah, it stinks," Frisk said with a shrug, "but we still have to deal with it."

"Uh huh. Everything has consequences, even chocolate." Chara winced. "I hope Mom finds a bucket soon."


	26. Chapter 25

CHAPTER 25

Sam yawned and stretched as he got out of the Sheriff's Department pickup, then leaned in and grabbed his morning espresso. As he walked into the office he saw Vincent – Vinnie – sipping his own coffee and reading the notes from the graveyard shift. He looked up as the sheriff triggered the visitor's tone and waved. "Morning, sir. Just catching up on the blotter notes."

"Morning, Vinnie." Sam took a drink, then set his paper cup on the front desk. "Anything new?"

"Nothing big since you came through last night. Good to hear that the Feldman's kid is back. There was something, though..." Vinnie pulled a sticky-note from the desk blotter. "Oh, yeah, Ty told me that Taylor came through just before shift change and picked up the beater rig. Said it sounded better than the last time he heard it, but he'd check it out first thing anyway. And I left a message for Ed about getting another car, but he hasn't called back yet."

"It's just past 8. He usually comes in closer to 10. Anything else?"

"Not yet. Anything out of the routine for today?"

"Nothing for you guys. Got a few loose ends to tie up with the Feldman case; I'll let you know if I need help."

Vinnie looked up, stopping his coffee's progress towards his mouth. "Loose ends? Was it an abduction?"

"Nah, nothing like that. Kid ran off to Mount Ebott, found some folks living up there and was staying with them."

"Living there?" Vinnie's eyes widened. "I thought that place was off-limits. And isn't it supposed to be haunted or something?"

"Not according to them," the sheriff said. "They're odd, but they seemed like good people. Just means I need to fill out some more paperwork."

"Well, good for them. Nice to hear about people taking care of a lost kid." Vinnie rubbed the bridge of his nose in thought before looking up again. "They need any help? Welfare, social service?"

"I'll be checking on that, but they seemed to be pretty self-sufficient types. Oh, and Mayor Vartich might come in later for a witness statement; he was visiting the Feldmans and came along with us yesterday."

Vinnie snorted. "Polishing his image, huh?"

"Maybe. Election's next year, and this is a feel-good story. To be fair, he is a friend of the Feldmans'."

"Yeah, I know. He bought and donated the orphanage for 'em. But he made certain he got it back in votes, too."

The sheriff shrugged. "Sure. But I've seen plenty of worse ways to buy a vote." His mustache twitched into a grin. "And I'm up for re-election too, remember?"

The deputy rolled his eyes. "Like you care."

Sam chuckled. "Just send the Mayor on in if he shows up."

"Will do, boss." Vinnie drank more coffee as the sheriff picked up his espresso and went to his office. He turned on the computer and started going over his report. Writing good reports was a matter of policy, but this one was going to be read by God only knew how many people. That meant it had to be perfect.

x*****x

He'd gotten to the park in his account and was checking his descriptions when the phone rang. He looked at the caller ID and raised an eyebrow as he answered.

"Good morning, Taylor. You're at work early."

"Morning, Sheriff. Who worked on that green car?"

Sam grinned. "Something wrong?"

"You know damn well there's nothin' wrong! Now what are you tryin' to pull?"

The sheriff frowned. "Nothing. What did Tyler tell you?"

"That you had a breakdown and someone fixed it for you."

"That's right."

"And that's crap. Listen, I know we don't always get your rigs done fast as you want, but good work takes time. You've never had somethin' I work on go bad, have you?"

"No." Sam frowned as he listened.

"And I don't overcharge, do I?"

"No."

"Then what are you doin', goin' to some other shop and then havin' me check their work?"

The sheriff's eyes widened. "Oh. Ohhh, that's what's got you-"

"Damn right it's what's got me! I done right by you, Sheriff, and you got no reason to-"

A smile had been spreading across Sam's face as he listened, and he interrupted Taylor with laughter.

"This ain't funny, man!"

The sheriff wiped his eyes. "Sorry, Taylor. You want the honest truth?"

"Damn right I do!"

"Okay, here it is. That work was done in a parking lot, with the tools in the car's toolbox, by someone I met for the first time yesterday, while I watched. In about an hour, start to finish." He listened, but heard no response. "Mr. Taylor?"

"You're joshin' me."

"Nope."

"That car's motor's been gone over all the way through. And you're tellin' me it was a parking lot job?"

"Yep."

"In an hour."

"Yep." "I don't believe it."

Sam's eyes glinted as he leaned forward, his voice sharpening. "I watched it. I ever lie to you, Taylor?"

"...No."

"And I'm not starting now."

A sigh came over the phone. "Okay. Sorry, sir."

Sam relaxed and grinned. "Forget it. Taylor, if I hadn't been watching her, I wouldn't have believed it myself. It was all her, too – all I did was hold parts for her, me and another guy."

"A female mechanic? Huh. Uh, you know if she was lookin' for work?"

The sheriff's smile widened. "Sorry, Taylor. She's a full-time engineer, works for an outfit you've never heard of."

"Then let me know 'bout 'em, huh? Anyone has people that good, I wanna see what they're sellin'."

The sheriff rubbed his mustache. "That's a point. I'll check back with her about it; I should let her know her work's appreciated anyway."

"You do that. And... uh... could you do me a favor and get her number?"

Sam laughed. "Taylor, you old goat!"

"C'mon, man, can't let a chance like this just go by without tryin'! She wouldn't happen to be black, would she?"

"Afraid not, Taylor. Sorry." Sam listened to the receiver sigh. "On the other hand, she's not white, either. She's mostly yellow, when she isn't blushing."

"Yellow, huh? Asian? Always thought it might be fun hookin' up with an Asian chick. She's smart, right? Never mind, I've seen her work; she's gotta be smart."

"Yeah, she's smart. She's also about two feet shorter than you are."

"Fine with me."

"I really don't think she's your type."

"Can't know unless I try."

The sheriff shook his head. "She has a tail, Taylor."

He heard laughter. "Man, now you're just messin' with me."

"Look, I'll pass your regards along, but it's up to her from there. And if she does call you, be nice, okay? She's the shy type."

"Don't worry, man. I'm always nice to the ladies."

"Not kidding, Taylor. She's good people."

The voice on the phone turned serious. "Hey, I understand. If she gets in touch, I promise that I will be a perfect gentleman. Guaranteed."

The sheriff nodded, before catching himself. "Good. Thanks."

"And let her know she did one hell of a job. She really did that in the parkin' lot?"

"She really did."

"Damn. Do you know how much her engineering job pays?"

"You'll have to ask her yourself, Taylor." Sam looked up as his office door opened and Caspar came in. The mayor looked more his usual self this morning, though his eyes were a bit puffy. The sheriff nodded him to a chair. "Got somebody here to see me. I'll have a deputy come and get the car. Thanks again, Taylor."

"No problem, Sheriff. Talk to you later."

Sam hung up and faced the mayor. "Good morning. Turns out that little dinosaur, Alphys, is a good enough mechanic to make Taylor at the garage scared for his job. He thought I'd sent the car to another shop. And after I told him it was a female mechanic who did the work in a parking lot, he asked me to get her number and whether she was looking for a job."

Caspar had been examining a notepad while he waited for the sheriff to finish his call; he looked up and grinned at the explanation, but then his expression returned to a serious frown. "Glad to hear that went well. Got time to talk things over?"

Sam considered the mayor. "I was expecting you this morning; looks like you've thought of some problems concerning our new neighbors?"

"Maybe. Potentially." He moved his chair up to the sheriff's desk as Sam cleared papers off the end and moved to face him across it. "To get to the point... do you think we can trust them?"

The sheriff blew through his mustache. "Yeah, I think so."

"This is important, Sam." The mayor looked the sheriff in the eye. "We're talking about creatures who have admitted to killed humans, and who have stated that they can take humans' souls to gain power. Who, if they take enough souls, would apparently gain enough power to be considered godlike."

Sam nodded, eyes locked on Caspar's. "I got that too. We are also talking about people who are sensitive enough that just hating them can make them feel sick. Whose leaders have adopted human children into their own family. Who publicly confessed that killing humans for revenge was wrong, and who handed over control of their government to someone who left in protest at that killing. They've spent hundreds of years locked up because humans were scared of them, Caspar. We owe it to them not to do that again."

The sheriff held up a hand as the mayor started to speak again. "And as far as the practical aspects go, taking souls isn't a one-way street. The boys told us that the human whose soul is taken keeps on living in the monster's body, and has some control. And I don't think they were lying, do you?"

"No." Caspar shook his head. "But parts of their story don't make sense. The monster child, Asriel, took six human souls, and they don't seem to have been able to resist him using them. And both he and Chara said that Asriel was able to stop Chara from fighting back when they were attacked, that he was in control."

"That's a point." The sheriff leaned back, rubbing his mustache. "On the other hand, I've got some ideas about that."

"You do?"

"Sure. Keeping the peace in this county is my job, after all. Wouldn't be doing my job right if I didn't think through the implications of what they told us yesterday."

The mayor nodded. "Of course. So?"

"Well, to start with, Chara said that he'd been in a kind of sleeping state until Frisk fell. And that even after that, he'd felt like he was dreaming until Frisk woke him fully. Considering how long those other humans' souls were down there, I think it's a good bet that they were the same way. That would explain why they didn't resist Asriel's control immediately. Not until Frisk woke them up."

The mayor nodded slowly. "Okay. That makes sense. But what about Asriel and Chara?"

"First off, that skeleton, Gaster, told us that the Royal Family have the strongest souls of all monsters. As far as we know, any other monster who took a human's soul might end up the human's puppet instead of the other way 'round. Second is just a guess, but I think it's a good bet that Chara wouldn't have fought Asriel for control as hard as he could have. Not if it might have hurt his brother." The sheriff frowned. "On the other hand, he was seeing and feeling his brother being killed. So I wouldn't lean too hard on that guess, either."

"But you think that if a monster took a human's soul immediately-"

"That the human would be awake and have some control? Yes."

"All right." The mayor ran a hand across his face. "That... that's a relief."

"I know. It was for me, too."

Caspar took a long breath, then looked at Sam again. "Okay. So we can afford to trust them. That means we need plans to find a place for them to live aboveground, build roads, get them electricity and water. Figure out how they'll interact with our citizens. But before any of that, we have to figure out how to break the news. We need to tell the government, but I have no idea who to call. Do you?"

"Well..." The sheriff reached for his mustache, but stopped himself and picked up his coffee cup instead. "Douglas Burns at the FBI knows me. I planned on sending him a copy of my incident report, and letting him work out notification from there."

The mayor raised an eyebrow. "You know the Director of the FBI?"

"Yep. Worked a few cases with him when we were still coming up through the ranks together. We still trade holiday cards."

Caspar gave the sheriff a considering look. "I never knew that."

"Never had a reason to bring it up." Sam shrugged. "Haven't seen him in years, but he was a good man when I knew him. I'm betting he still is."

"But would your report get to him? Would he pay attention to it?"

"Yes, if I address it to him personally. Like I said, he knows me."

"I'll take your word for it." Caspar rubbed his chin. "So, you send it to the FBI Director. I assume they have some kind of procedure for this. Should we wait for them to respond before we go ahead with things here, like setting up media exposure?"

"I don't think so. Seeing a television interview with the monsters could kick things loose and make sure this situation is taken seriously. But remember, this is going to make history. It's going to be looked at on a national and international level. We aren't going to get any second chances at this; neither are they."

"Oh, I know." The mayor grimaced. "Believe me, I know. I've been thinking about this since I woke up and finished listening to that recording again. Oh." He reached into his slacks and took out a memory stick. "I made a copy of my meeting recording. It's on this."

"Thanks." Sam took the stick and set it on his desk. "I'll send a copy with my report. And if you've got time now, I'll take a witness statement. I'll get the Feldmans' statement later."

"Sure." Caspar nodded; then his eyes widened. "Hey, see if you can get a copy of that video they showed us yesterday too. Didn't Mrs. Feldman say she was going to take Frisk's things from the orphanage to Toriel today?"

The sheriff nodded. "Yeah, I think you're right. I'll give her a call before we start the witness interview."


	27. Chapter 26

CHAPTER 26

Mrs. Feldman hung up and put her cell phone away, then got out of her minivan and opened the rear door. Frisk's clothes and belongings had fit into four packing boxes, which she carried to a picnic table in the shade. She pulled out her cell phone again, but stopped and waved as she saw movement in the trees. "Hello, Toriel!"

"Hello, Mrs. Feldman. I am glad to see you again." The monster walked over to the table and looked down at the boxes. "These are Frisk's things?"

"Yes; his clothes are in these boxes. This one has his belongings; his books, and his pencils and sketches."

"Thank you. I am sure he will be glad to have them again." Toriel considered for a moment. "Is there anything you would like to keep, to remember Frisk? I am sure he would agree if we called and asked him."

"Thank you, but we have several drawings that Frisk has given us already. And we are planning to visit when we have the time, if that's all right."

"Of course! You will always be welcome." Toriel hesitated before continuing. "I hope that this is not improper to ask, but do you think it would be all right if I took some paper from those rooms?" She pointed at the public toilets.

Mrs. Feldman's forehead wrinkled. "If you need toilet paper, I can get some for you. But... didn't you say that you don't, ah, need bathrooms?"

"We do not. Chara and Frisk, however, are... Well, they are no longer used to outside food."

Mrs. Feldman's eyes widened. "Oh. The donuts. I never even considered. And you don't... oh dear."

"It is all right. Chara had anticipated the problem, and brought some toilet paper back with him. And we have made arrangements now. But I thought it would be best to acquire more for future use."

"Of course." Mrs. Feldman pulled out her phone. "I'll make a note to get some for you."

Toriel looked embarrassed. "Please, there is no need-"

"It's no trouble. And I can get some books on raising children, human children, for you too."

"That is very kind of you. Thank you."

"I'm glad to help." Mrs. Feldman put her phone away again. "Would you like some help carrying these boxes?"

"Thank you, but I think I can manage." Toriel stacked the boxes, and lifted them carefully. "Yes, this will work well enough."

"Toriel... could I ask you something before you go?"

"Of course." Toriel put the boxes back down. "What is it?"

"Well..." Mrs. Feldman's face flushed. "I'm sorry, it's just idle curiosity. Never mind."

"Mrs. Feldman, you are our friend. I will not take offense, whatever you ask."

Mrs. Feldman looked at Toriel's open, concerned expression and smiled. "All right. But I'll understand if you don't want to answer." She sat down on a picnic bench, and Toriel took a seat next to her.

"Very well. Please, ask your question."

"Toriel... how do monsters have children?"

Toriel smiled. "Is that all?"

"Yes. You don't mind?"

"Not in the least. When two monsters love each other very much and want to have a child, they spend time together, building up their love and affection for one another. As they spend more time together, their souls begin to grow larger. When their souls have grown large enough, the monsters embrace; they join, and then come apart again, leaving a third, smaller monster, who is their child."

Mrs. Feldman blinked. "So... monsters have children using a special hug?"

"That is one way to describe it, yes." Toriel looked at Mrs. Feldman in surprise as the human leaned forward, covering her face. "Are you all right?"

"I-I'm fine." A giggle escaped from behind Mrs. Feldman's hands; then she wiped her eyes. "I'm sorry, Toriel. It's just..." She giggled again. "Describing intercourse as a "special hug" is an old human joke."

Toriel raised an eyebrow. "How DO humans have children, then?" Mrs. Feldman took a quick breath, and Toriel looked apologetic. "I am sorry. Is it a sensitive question?"

"It is, but you answered my question. I really should answer yours."

"You do not have to."

"I don't mind." Mrs. Feldman coughed. "How to start... You don't use reproductive organs, so-" She stopped abruptly, with a startled look. "And you don't excrete."

"Mrs. Feldman?" Toriel looked confused.

"Toriel, have you seen Chara, well, naked?"

"Yes. He was injured when he fell, and we removed his clothes while healing him. I also helped him to bathe while he was recovering."

"And you know where the... ah... the excrement comes out when he needs a bucket?"

"Certainly. There are animals in the Underground which have similar parts."

"But not monsters?"

"No." Toriel's eyes widened. "Those parts... they are how humans have children?"

Mrs. Feldman stopped to think for a moment before she continued. "They... are a part of it. You said that there are animals in the Underground that excrete. Do you know how they reproduce?"

Toriel shook her head. "Not really."

"Ah. I suppose I'll have to start with the basics of human biology, then..."

x*****x

"Those are the basics. I can give you more details if you'd like, though." Mrs. Feldman saw Toriel shake her head, looking thoughtful.

"No, thank you, Mrs. Feldman. You have explained quite clearly already."

"Well, it's not the first time I've needed to explain where babies come from." Toriel's look of surprise met an eye-twinkling smile. "Our children always ask that question eventually. Having been a nurse helps, too."

"Oh, you helped to heal people?"

"Yes; I worked at a hospital before Jacob and I retired and opened our orphanage." She saw Toriel frown, and cocked her head. "Is there something else you would like to know?"

"I do not understand why human intercourse is such a sensitive subject. It is very different from how monsters act, but humans' and monsters' bodies are different, so that is not surprising."

Mrs. Feldman sighed. "Thoroughly explaining humans' attitudes towards sex would take days, Toriel, possibly years. On the other hand, it is something that you should know, so I'll try to explain the basics as I see them."

"As you see them?" Toriel repeated.

"Yes. Sex, and what is and is not proper in relation to it, is something that many humans disagree on. Which genders should or should not have intercourse, and what acts of intercourse are acceptable, for instance."

"Which genders?" Toriel looked at Mrs. Feldman in puzzlement for a moment, then nodded. "No, of course. You did say that humans can only have children if a male and a female are involved."

"That's the natural way, at least, though there are methods of getting around that now," Mrs. Feldman said. "And that assumes that the purpose of intercourse, of sex, is to have children."

"It is not?"

Toriel stared, and Mrs. Feldman shook her head. "Not always. Toriel, forgive me for asking, but is the process of... joining... pleasurable?" Toriel's cheeks reddened beneath her fur. "I-I'm sorry, you don't have to-"

"No, it is all right." Toriel nodded, her face losing its blush. She closed her eyes, and sighed. "The question brought back memories; that is all. But, yes. The process is pleasurable."

"For us, Toriel, sex is - or can be - one of the most pleasurable events a human can experience." Mrs. Feldman watched her friend anxiously; Toriel's eyes remained closed, but she nodded. "Even if there is no possibility of having children."

Toriel nodded again, then opened her eyes and looked at Mrs. Feldman. "So, what do you consider proper?"

"Well, I suppose I'm a traditionalist." Mrs. Feldman smiled and shrugged. "I consider sex between a man and a woman to be 'proper,' partly because I consider having children to be an important part of a relationship. Sex can also be a way of showing love and affection and sharing pleasure, and there are humans who value sex simply for those reasons. I can understand that view, even if I don't share it. Though I suppose that humans who do might consider me a hypocrite."

"But why?"

"Because I can't have children."

Toriel's eyes widened; Mrs. Feldman's smile remained unchanged, but her eyes were moist and unfocused. "Frisk said that that was why you and your husband opened the orphanage. I did not understand it; if you were monsters, it would mean that one of you did not want-" Toriel stopped and stood as her friend's smile gave way, and Mrs. Feldman put her head in her hands. She started as Toriel knelt and embraced her, then put an arm around Toriel; her other hand wiped her eyes. "I am sorry. I did not mean to hurt you."

"No, no, it's all right." Mrs. Feldman sniffed, then coughed. "As you said, it just brought back memories." She patted Toriel's back, then shifted, and Toriel moved to sit next to her again. "Jacob and I tried, but my body... can't carry a child." She sighed, but then smiled again. "But in a way, we've had more children now than we would ever have had ourselves. And I like to think that we've saved some who wouldn't have been born otherwise."

"What?" Toriel's expression was puzzled again. "How could a child not be born?"

Mrs. Feldman paled; she swallowed, hard. "Toriel... you have never heard of abortion?"

"No; what is it?" There was silence; Toriel looked at her friend, and saw her looking down, eyes closed. "Mrs. Feldman? Are you all right?"

Her friend nodded, eyes still closed, then looked back at her. "To understand abortion, Toriel, you have to understand that humans disagree about when life begins, and at what point the child growing in its mother becomes a human. From what you've told me, this isn't a question for monsters; your children are born immediately. But for us, there is a period after sex while the child grows in its mother."

Toriel nodded. "Yes; you said it takes about nine months, did you not?"

"Yes. And during the first months of that time, if the mother so chooses, she may... may have the baby removed."

"But that-" Toriel stared at Mrs. Feldman. "But that would-" She shook her head. "Who would do such a thing?"

Mrs. Feldman sighed. "Humans don't work the same way as monsters; a child can be conceived after sex whether the parents want them or not. The people who consider abortion acceptable say that, until a baby has grown enough in its mother, it isn't really a human, and removing them isn't killing. That they are still a part of the mother's body, and that she has a right to decide what to do with her own body."

She started as a choking sound came from beside her. Toriel was bent over, head buried in her hands, shaking. "Toriel? Toriel, are you all right?" Mrs. Feldman knelt in front of Toriel, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Why?" Toriel's voice was barely a whisper, and thick with tears. "Why would someone kill their own child?"

Mrs. Feldman rubbed her friend's shoulder. "Usually it is done because those involved are not prepared to have a child; they aren't ready for the responsibility, or they don't want to be bothered." Toriel's shoulders shook. "They tell themselves that they aren't killing anyone, that the child isn't really alive yet. That it would be better for the child to not be born than to be born unwanted." Mrs. Feldman squeezed Toriel's shoulder. "But we want them." Her voice was low but intense.

Toriel took her hands from her eyes and looked into her friend's own eyes, full of tears, anger, and love. "We give the people who do not want their children another choice. We let them know that, if they bring their children to us, they will be cared for. That we will find homes for them with people who will love them."

Mrs. Feldman's jaw clenched, and she closed her eyes again as she continued in a quiet voice. "We do what we can. But we cannot save all of them."

"You saved Frisk." Toriel's voice was a whisper, as she clasped her friend's other shoulder, the two women mirroring each other. "For that, I... all monsters... owe you more than we can ever repay."

"I'm just glad he's found a family. And... Frisk wasn't an abortion case. Actually, we don't know where he came from."

"Oh?" Toriel said.

Mrs. Feldman took a packet of tissues from her pocket, passing it to Toriel after she had taken her own and sat down again. "My husband and I found Frisk on our orphanage steps one morning not long after moving here; we think he was three months old." She chuckled, dabbing at her eyes. "He was lying wrapped in a cheap blanket, a bit thin and unwashed but healthy, no identification at all. And there was a soap label tucked into the blanket that said, 'Frisk.'"

Toriel blinked. "So... you called him Frisk because of the label?"

"Yes. It started as a joke, but the name seemed to fit, somehow. There was an investigation, but the police couldn't find out who had left him with us. And since leaving a child on our orphanage's steps was a clear sign that whoever had left him wanted us to take care of him, taking Frisk in was fairly straightforward." Mrs. Feldman blew her nose and set her tissue on the picnic table behind them. "Jacob and I did our best to raise him, but we always hoped he would find a family of his own."

"You have done wonderfully." Toriel smiled at Mrs. Feldman. "I only wish that Chara had come to you as well."

"Yes," Mrs. Feldman said, and sighed. "What happened to Chara is something that humans who support abortion would use as an example." She felt Toriel stiffen next to her. "I'm sorry."

"It is not your fault," Toriel said. "What has happened should be confronted, not ignored. And I thank you for being honest with me. We have much to learn about humans and the world outside."

"And we have a great deal to learn about monsters." Mrs. Feldman shook her head. "It still seems wrong to call you a monster. You certainly look different than we do, but I've known humans who were much more frightening."

"It is the same way for us. The story of the war and our confinement is how most monsters think of humans. Frisk and Chara have set a different example, however. One I hope we can follow."

"I hope we can as well." Mrs. Feldman looked at the sun. "I suppose we should both be getting home. Shall we meet again tomorrow?"

"I would like that. If it is convenient for you?" Toriel stood.

"I'll make time for it." Mrs. Feldman stood as well. "I should get some school books for Frisk. He's been studying at the orphanage with the other children, but I don't think that will work now; there's just no way to make the trip."

"Yes," Toriel said, looking at the mountain. "Making a road, or a decent path at the least, is another thing we must consider. And... Mrs. Feldman?"

"Yes, Toriel?"

"I thank you again for giving Frisk to us. For giving us the child who helped free us all. For giving me the son who brought back my other two children." Mrs. Feldman looked at Toriel's glistening eyes and put her arms around her, then felt Toriel's arms pressing her close. "Thank you. And... I'm sorry."

"It's all right, Toriel." Mrs. Feldman's voice was husky. "We always lose our children when they find another family. Frisk was... special to us. But I know you love him. That he'll be cared for. And that's enough."

The two stood together for a moment longer before separating and wiping their eyes. "Thank you, Mrs. Feldman. I shall see you tomorrow. At the same time as today?"

"I think so. I'll call you tonight."

"All right. Until tomorrow."

"Until tomorrow." Mrs. Feldman watched as Toriel picked up the boxes and started back up the mountain, then turned back to her minivan. (I should make a note, bring school books for Frisk. And for Chara. And some human history books for Asriel - and for the other monsters. And I need to go talk to the sheriff.) She sighed, then put away her cell phone before turning onto the highway. (Well, one day at a time. Things aren't going to get simpler any time soon.)


	28. Chapter 27

CHAPTER 27

"Hello, Director. You wanted to see me?"

"Yes. Have a seat." The Director of the FBI, Douglas Burns, considered the analyst taking a chair across his desk. He was in his 30s, with close-cut blond hair and a desk-jockey's physique. He was also one of the best evidence analysts Burns had, and he was trustworthy - which was exactly what Burns needed right now.

"I have an assignment for you, Mark. Do you know Samuel Abrams?"

"Never had the pleasure of meeting him, sir," the analyst said. "I've heard the rumors, of course. About 'The Tank,' the guy who helped you clean up that drug ring. He retired and went back home, right?"

"Right." The Director picked up a sheaf of papers. "He was one of the best agents - the best men - I've ever worked with. He's a county sheriff now. We still trade holiday cards." He scanned the papers, then slid them into a large, padded envelope and placed it on his desk. "I got this report from him yesterday. I want you to examine it, especially the video, for authenticity."

The analyst nodded. "So what's the case?"

Burns shook his head. "No case. Just evidence verification."

"Sir?" Mark raised an eyebrow. "Who am I working with on this one?"

"No one."

"...May I speak freely, sir?"

The Director leaned back in his chair and nodded. "Sure. But if you want to know what the hell is going on, I can't tell you. Not won't, can't." He frowned, mirroring the expression on Mark's face. "I looked through that report yesterday and still can't decide if it's real or not. If I'd gotten that from almost anyone else, I'd be tearing a strip off 'em for trying to hoax me. But from Sam..." He shook his head, and sighed. "Either Sam's been snowed himself... or it's real." Burns looked his analyst in the eye. "I want you to go over that report's contents, ASAP, to determine whether they're genuine or not. This is your only current assignment - I've cleared it already. Treat it as Top Secret."

Mark blinked. "Top Secret? As in, national security level material?"

"Correct. You've been assigned a secure workstation; your escort is on the way."

"Ah... why me? Sir?"

"Because you're one of the Bureau's best analysts, and I trust you - both your discretion and your judgment." Douglas saw him gulp, and let his own expression ease into a small grin. "This isn't something that'll come back to bite you. I just need to be damn sure whether this is real or not."

"Understood." Mark nodded, looking slightly less pale. "If it's urgent, then checking the material would go faster with some help - Adam Smythe, maybe."

The Director shook his head. "Sorry, Mark, but you're it. I want this done fast and kept quiet, without the usual paperwork. If it's a hoax I owe Sam a chance to explain himself, privately. And if it's not, then I'll need to start making some phone calls, the sooner the better. Call me as soon as you're done, regardless of time. You've got the priority number for my cell. Use it."

"I will." Mark nodded, then started at the loud knock on the Director's door. "You said you've already looked this over, sir. What's your take?"

Burns paused to answer the question before letting the security escort in. "I don't see how it can be real, but I can't find the evidence that it's not. That's why you're looking at it."

"Understood, sir." Mark waited as the escorting agent placed the padded envelope into a security container, then followed him out of the office. The Director sat down and checked his schedule; he had another appointment in 15 minutes.

"And now," he muttered, leaning back and closing his eyes, "I wait to find out if we're living in The X-Files."

x******x

beep. Beep. Beep. BEEP. BEE-

Burns groaned as he hit the answer button on his cell phone. His first attempt at speaking was unintelligible; he turned on his bedside lamp and grabbed the bottle of water on his dresser to clear his cotton mouth. "H'lo?"

"Sorry, Director. You said you wanted me to call."

The resentment of being awakened at 2:49 in the morning was replaced by excitement and a trace of guilt. His analyst sounded more tired than he felt. "Yeah, I did. Wasn't expecting you to report back this early."

"Got interesting, lost track of time. Thank God there's coffee in here." A quiet background noise of drinking came through the phone. "It's real, sir. It's all real."

"It's not a hoax? You're certain?"

"Certain enough to need tissues. God damn, what those kids went through..." There was a honking noise. "Sorry."

"Don't sweat it, Mark. If that story's real, it's a tear-jerker for sure. And you're sure it is real?"

"The video is real, no trick photography, edits, or other bullshit. The voices are consistent. The, ah, creatures aren't movie monsters, no costuming, no nothing. If this is fake, then it's world-class fake, movie-CIA-grade shit. Excuse my language."

"Like I said, don't sweat it. Go ahead and get some sleep, you've earned it. Good work, Mark."

"Thank you, Director. Good night."

"Keep your phone on, I may need you tomorrow. Shouldn't be before noon."

"Understood. Will do. Anything else?"

"Not for now. Text me when you're awake, and be ready to answer questions tomorrow."

"Right. Will do, sir." The call ended, and Douglas yawned. Then he stood, stretched, and started dressing.

(Now, who needs to know first? The President, Department of Defense-) He stopped abruptly, one leg in his pants. (X-Files. Aliens. Holy shit, this is a first-contact scenario. Do we even have a procedure for this? Who would know – hey, yeah. If anyone does, they should...)

x******x

"Hello, NASA?"


	29. Chapter 28

CHAPTER 28

"Are you ready, Frisk?"

"Yes, Mom." Frisk reached up to rub his nose.

"Hey, hands off your face!"

"Sorry. Thanks for reminding me."

The makeup artist smirked and gave him a thumbs-up. "Just don't forget on-set. Your nose'll shine like a mirror if you rub the powder off."

Frisk smiled back and nodded, then looked around the dressing room. Toriel and Asgore - Mom and Dad - were waiting with him to go onto the set and start the interview. Mom had on another of her robes embroidered with the Delta Rune; Dad was wearing a purple cape with a gold clasp. Their horns looked a bit fuzzy with powder on them, but the makeup artist had promised that it wouldn't show on camera and that it would prevent distracting reflections. Mom had polished them that morning to get ready, but had accepted the powder without complaint.

"Are you prepared, Asgore?"

"Yes, Toriel."

"Good."

Frisk suppressed a sigh; it had been over a week, but things were still uneasy between his new parents. It showed in small things - Toriel refusing help with the dishes, or Asgore finding excuses to go work by himself when a silence became awkward. But they were still living together. (It could still work out. And at least they have Asriel and Chara again.)

"Frisk. Frisk!" He blinked as Toriel called him. "It is time." He followed his parents out onto the set, and reminded himself to thank the television people again for the interview. They had taken the interview request as a joke at first, but agreed to a meeting after talking to the mayor and the sheriff. Following their initial shock at discovering monsters were real and being told part of the story behind their release, the station had leapt at the opportunity to hold the first television interview of the King and Queen of the Monsters. Frisk been included as the monsters' Ambassador; the TV people were obviously humoring him, but that was all right. He could still help explain humans and monsters to each other and sort out official status later.

"Okay, room tone." The anchorman who would interview them, Frank Wilder, put a finger to his lips and pointed at the microphone over their heads. He was about six feet tall, with light brown hair and blue eyes, dressed in a grey suit, white shirt and dark blue tie. He seemed nice, and had explained that the interview would be recorded to broadcast later "in case of accidents." He looked at the cameraman, who nodded and said, "Ready."

The anchorman stared into the camera. "Monster Royalty Interview, Take One." He clapped his hands. "Okay, let's begin. Would each of you say your name for the camera, please?"

Frank Wilder considered his interview subjects, the King and Queen of the Monsters and their son, the "Ambassador," as they introduced themselves. This was going to be in the history books, and he was right in the middle of it. The thought widened his "on-air" smile as he considered the interview questions and the responses he expected.

The Queen was clearly the smarter of the two monarchs, so any unexpected revelations would probably come from the King. He'd focus on making them comfortable, then try and draw him out. The kid, Frisk, seemed trusting enough, but he'd just been adopted; he wouldn't know about any skeletons in the royal closet yet.

(Historical event or not, they're still politicians. And one of them is a self-confessed murderer. Let's see if I can get to the truth...)

"And so you're starting a school for monsters?"

"That is correct. We have a great deal to learn about humans, since we have been separated for so long."

"And we have a great deal to learn about monsters. Any ideas about that?"

"Yes." Wilder turned his attention to Frisk as the boy spoke up. "My brothers and I are making a website for monsters about humans, along with Doctor Alphys, the Royal Engineer. When that's finished, we plan to make one for humans that answers questions about monsters."

"That should be interesting! You'll let me know when it's done, right?"

"Of course!"

"Great. Now, Frisk, I understand that you're from the Mount Ebott Foster Center. Is that right?..."

"...And you say that this Mettaton is planning a concert for humans?"

"Yep. He's still working on it, but we'll let everyone know as soon as we have a date."

"Fantastic!"

The interview was going well, Frank thought, considering his next question. He'd kept the tone light so far, and the subjects looked comfortable. (Time to start getting serious.)

"Queen Toriel, I'm sure that most people will be as curious about monsters as I am. Are there any plans to allow humans into the Underground?"

The Queen's forehead creased as she answered. "Currently, no. It is something to consider for the future, but it would be too hazardous at the current time."

"Hazardous for humans, or for monsters?"

"For both, though possibly more for humans."

"As your son found out, correct?"

"Yes." The simple answer redirected the anchor's attention from Toriel's frown to Frisk's own serious expression.

"Yes, you were hurt by monsters?"

"I was, but-"

"So you, a child, were attacked by monsters? Why?" The Queen was openly glaring now. (She can be angry if she likes; I'm still going to get the real story.)

"Because most of them didn't know they were attacking me."

"Didn't know they were attacking you? Can you explain that?"

"Monsters, like my parents," Frisk said, nodding to the King and Queen, "are mostly made of magic, and their magic works through emotion and intent. Monsters can't hurt each other with magic unless they intend to. For them, magic is an expression of their personality, who they are; they'll do things like send each other magic-powered bullet-pattern birthday cards," he continued, smiling. Then his smile faded. "Humans don't react the same to magic as monsters do. We're not... compatible, I guess. So a monster can hurt a human when they're doing something that would be harmless to another monster."

"They really couldn't figure out that they were harming you? That's hard to believe."

"Not most of them. I was the first human to have been in the Underground for years; some monsters didn't even realize I was a human. And most monsters don't understand how humans work, the same way that most humans don't understand how monsters work. That's why we're working to teach monsters about humans, and humans about monsters."

(Good redirection. Maybe calling him their "Ambassador" isn't just for show.) "I see. Now, you said "most" monsters didn't realize they were harming you. That means there were exceptions."

"Yeah. Some monsters, like the Royal Guards, knew about humans."

"So why did they attack you?"

"Because they were afraid."

"The monsters' Royal Guards were afraid of a child?" Frank let his voice and expression show his incredulity.

"Yes. And they were right."

"Really?"

"Really." Frisk nodded, his eyes locked on the anchor's. "Humans are vulnerable to monsters' magic, but monsters are even more vulnerable to humans. Monsters are made of magic that responds to emotions. If a monster is attacked by a human who hates them, it doesn't matter what they're attacked with; that hate will hurt them, even if they're just getting hit with a small stick."

The Queen placed a hand on the boy's shoulder as he continued speaking. "The Royal Guard's job is to protect the Underground, and what most monsters know about humans is from the war between humans and monsters, when the monsters were sealed underground. They think about humans... the same way we think about monsters, I guess. Like they're something scary and dangerous." Frisk looked at his mother, then back at John. "We're not, and they're not, either. We just need to understand each other."

"I see." (Sweet kid, no wonder they made him their ambassador. Doesn't seem to have any resentment at all. And adopting him? Genius. He's a dead end, but...)

"You say that the monsters aren't something to be afraid of. But what about the people who went missing after climbing Mount Ebott, who the monsters killed? Who you killed yourself, King Asgore?"

The King blinked, then nodded. He seemed less surprised than John had hoped. (Probably expected the question. But that won't help him wriggle out of the facts.)

"Yes. I have killed humans, and been responsible for the deaths of others."

"I've also heard that you attempted to give up your kingship. Is that right?"

"I did attempt to resign. But, as my wi-as Queen Toriel pointed out, that would have been refusing responsibility for what I had done, and for what I need to do now." Asgore closed his eyes, took a deep breath, then continued. "As you said, I am responsible for the deaths – the murders – of six humans who fell into the Underground. Of planning to take their souls and use them to kill still other humans, making war on the people of the surface."

Toriel was glaring at Asgore, and John had to contain a smirk. Her husband was obviously going off-script. The kid was staring at the King; he looked... sad? (Not scared, even when his new father's talking about killing people?)

"We want to live in peace with humans, and what I have done will make that... harder. But the responsibility for what has been done is mine. As the one responsible, I want to apologize to all humans, for what I have done and what I had planned to do."

(Ah, so that's what this is, an apology setup. Of course. Okay, next I can press him on whether he thinks an apology will actually-)

"But... for what I have done... an apology is not enough."

(Hah, of course they've thought of the next step. The Queen's still glaring at him like he's doing this on his own; damn, she's a good actor.)

"That is why... I am making an offer to any humans who hate or fear monsters, especially to the families of the humans that I killed."

(Blood money, I'll bet. Wonder how much-)

"I ask for any human who intends harm towards monsters to come to me, rather than to any other monster. I am the one responsible for the harm humans have suffered from monsters; I am the only one who should pay for that harm."

(Where's he going with this?)

"If you want to hurt someone... I ask that it be me. I am the King of the Monsters; I am responsible for the deaths of those who fell into our kingdom, and for leading my people in seeking war with humanity. I am the one who should pay for that, no one else."

(...What?)

Frank stared at the King, whose head had dropped to face the interview table. Frisk was staring at his father, face pale, jaw trembling. And the Queen...

Toriel stood, face set and stern. "Forgive me," she said to Frank, "but we need to discuss this in private, if we may."

(This is a setup. It has to be. They're planning to walk this back after a "private discussion," and if we can catch them talking about it!-)

"Of course, Queen Toriel. Excuse me. Would the dressing room you were in earlier-"

"That will do well enough. Thank you." Toriel turned her stern expression to her husband, and her face darkened. "Asgore. Come here." The King stood, not looking at her, and followed, Frisk trailing behind them.

Frank hurried into the control room, puffing slightly as he joined the technician watching the video from the dressing room. "They start talking yet?"

"Just walking in. Shh." Frank nodded, staring at the small screen as the King, the Queen, and their son entered the dressing room.

Frisk stood to one side as his parents faced each other. "Asgore." Toriel's voice was tense with suppressed anger. "What were you thinking?"

"I am taking responsibility for-"

"Your responsibility is to lead your people, Asgore, not to abandon them!"

"My responsibility is to protect our people, Toriel. I am not a fit leader; at least this way I can-"

"Are you trying to protect them, Asgore? Or trying to run away again?"

"Toriel." The King's voice had been subdued and apologetic, but his tone now was firm and confident. "I told you I was done being a coward. I am doing this because it's the only way I can defend us from the humans."

Toriel crossed her arms. "How?"

"By showing them that they don't need to fear us. Toriel, the only way for there to be peace between humans and monsters is if we accept each other. The humans are stronger now than they were when we were defeated, and we monsters are weaker. If the humans fear or hate monsters enough to attack us, we will be destroyed or imprisoned again. And the one most likely to make humans fear and hate monsters is me – the monster King who murdered humans and called for a war with them. If the humans want vengeance, then the one responsible should pay for it, not the monsters who followed my commands. They didn't know what war would mean; most of them had never even seen a human before Frisk. Besides... you're a better leader than I am. You'll all be okay without me."

Toriel's expression had changed, softening, as Asgore spoke. But as he finished, she closed her eyes and sighed. "Asgore... you promised me that we would make decisions together. You agreed to it."

Asgore's shoulders slumped as his gaze fell again. "I'm sorry, Toriel."

"And what about Asriel, Chara, and Frisk? What about our children, Asgore?"

"I... I just want to protect you all. To keep you safe. And I can't do that by fighting, all I can do is make sure it's me who gets hurt, not you."

"Dad..." Frisk took Asgore's hand, looking up at him, eyes glistening. Asgore looked down at him, putting his hand on his son's shoulder, then looked at Toriel again.

"Toriel... do you want me to take it back?" His voice sounded subdued, defeated.

Toriel shook her head. "No, Asgore. You have made the offer; you should not retract it now. It would be worse than if you had never made it at all. Besides... you are right. It is your responsibility."

"Thank you, Toriel."

"You've done what you thought was right, again. I agree with you, this time. But please, in the future, remember your promise and consult me about such important decisions."

"Yes, Toriel."

"I will go and see when they will be ready to continue." Toriel walked to the door.

Frank let out his breath as the Queen left the dressing room. "Holy shit." "Yeah," the technician said. "God DAMN. The big guy has balls to match, eh?"

"If he means it."

The technician looked at Frank, who was still staring at the screen. "You think they're faking this?"

"I don't know. It's either that, or he's really offering his head on a plate to any human who wants it. And I want to know which is the truth."

"Okay, we're resuming the interview. King Asgore, could you repeat what you said before the break?"

"Yes. I am offering my life in apology for the murders of the humans who fell into the Underground, and for planning to make war against humanity. I ask that any humans who seek vengeance against monsters come to me, and not harm anyone else."

"So you're taking personal responsibility for the murders you committed and the war you planned?"

"Yes."

"Sorry, but this is hard to believe. You really intend to allow any human who comes to you with a grudge to kill you?"

"I do."

"And you're saying you'll allow it? You won't try to avoid it, to defend yourself?"

"I will not. I would rather allow myself to be hurt than anyone else. What has been done is my responsibility; I'm the only one who should pay for it."

Frank's stare went straight into Asgore's eyes; the King was meeting his gaze steadily, without evasion. "There are six murdered humans, and only one of you."

"Yes." Asgore nodded. "I can only die once; I hope that, if more than one human wants to kill me, knowing I have been punished will be enough for the others." He did not flinch or look away.

"Queen Toriel? Do you have any comment on the King's decision?"

"King Asgore decided on this action on his own." Toriel's voice and expression were serious but controlled, without the anger she had shown in the dressing room. "We interrupted the interview to discuss it. After that discussion, I have consented to his decision. As he said, it is his responsibility."

"And do you intend to share in that responsibility?"

"No!" The answer came from Asgore, not Toriel, and she turned a startled glance at the King as he leaned forward. "Toriel exiled herself in protest at my plans for war and killing humans. She is the least guilty of any monster for what I did. That's why I offered her the crown when I tried to resign as King." Asgore breathed in heavily and leaned back. "Besides, our people need a leader. If I am killed, they will need Toriel as Queen to replace me."

The Queen was looking at Asgore, brow wrinkled, but John couldn't read her expression. "Frisk? Do you have any comment?"

The boy swallowed hard and nodded. "I understand why Da-why King Asgore is doing this. That he needs to make up for what he did." He swallowed again, squeezing his eyes shut, then blinked and continued. "But I'd like to ask everyone to forgive him. I know that he's killed people, other humans. But that isn't who he is any more. He doesn't want to hurt anyone. Please... don't kill him." His jaw worked, and then he continued, voice thick. "Please don't kill my Dad."

The King put a hand on his son's shoulder and Frisk turned to him, one hand reaching for him as the other wiped at his eyes. The Queen looked at the anchorman. "Would you excuse us again?" Her voice was still controlled, but her eyes had a moist gleam. "Of course, your highness. I think this is a good place to end the interview. Unless you'd like to continue?" "I think that this will do for a beginning. Thank you." She took her husband's shoulder and led him and her son towards the dressing room.

Toriel took in a deep breath and sighed; the air outside the television building's parking lot smelled of burning from the humans' cars, but it was refreshing after being inside for most of the day. And it was still wonderful to see open sky above her as she looked up, smiling.

"Queen Toriel?" She looked and saw the human who had been interviewing them, Frank, walking towards her.

"Yes." She nodded to him. "Thank you again for agreeing to tell our story."

"I can't take much credit for that; that's mostly in the station manager's hands." He shrugged and stood near her, looking casually from side to side. "You've done us a big favor, honestly. The first interview with intelligent non-human people in history? This is going to make us famous. And our ratings are going to skyrocket."

"Skyrocket?"

"Go up, a lot. You don't know – no, you guys wouldn't have that one, would you? You don't use fireworks underground. Right?"

"I have heard of fireworks, but we use magic for such displays. And we do not – did not – have a sky for them."

"Yeah." The human looked from side to side again, then continued more quietly. "I'd like to give you some advice."

"Oh? What is that?"

"These days, there are cameras everywhere." Frank's tone was earnest, the lightness he had spoken with earlier gone. "Always assume that you're being recorded – audio and video, voice and appearance. Assume it's happening at all times and in all places, even, ESPECIALLY, in places you've been told AREN'T being recorded. Bathrooms. Hotel rooms." He took a deep breath and looked her in the eye. "Dressing rooms."

"...I see." Toriel's voice was still calm, but he could hear the edge in it, and she wasn't trying to hide her glare. "And should I assume I am being recorded now?"

Frank shrugged. "It's the safe thing to do. I'm not, but you only have my word for that. And I'm not the only person to worry about. You're all going to be famous, ultra-famous. You and your family will have paparazzi and sight-seers swarming all over you once your story gets out. You need to be ready for that."

"And you are warning me of this because?" Toriel's tone and expression were unchanged.

"Because..." Frank looked away, took a breath, and looked at her face again. "Because you guys didn't try to lie to me. Because you told the truth."

Her expression changed from anger to confusion. "What?"

Frank grinned, shaking his head. "You really take that for granted?" He looked at her blank stare. "Here's another piece of advice, about human politicians and leaders. They lie. They put themselves first, others second. The better ones do try to help the people they're supposed to be responsible for, but they'll still lie to help themselves."

He looked at Toriel's wide-eyed expression and shook his head again. "Trust me on this. I've been in this business for years. I've covered dozens of election campaigns. And I've never met an honest politician, ever. Our mayor, Vartich, is a good guy as far as politicians go, but he still looks out for himself. And as for apologizing?" He rolled his eyes. "Every time I think I've heard the last variation of "I'm sorry but it's not really my fault," a politician comes up with a new one. And I've never seen one of 'em take personal responsibility for something as serious as someone's death." He took a deep breath. "Until today."

Toriel shook her head slowly, eyes on his face. "Why are you telling me this?"

"I got started in this business because I think people should know the truth." Frank turned to look out across the parking lot, his back to the building, as he continued. "I thought I'd be exposing corrupt politicians and finding the honest ones. Then I learned the truth - there are no honest politicians, just more and less dirty ones." He faced Toriel again. "And dirty as they are, they're all obsessed with keeping their reputations clean. They'll say anything, do almost anything, to get re-elected. And if they're caught, not one of them will make a genuine apology, take true responsibility for what they've done. Doing what King Asgore did? They'd never even consider it."

He swallowed. "I couldn't believe it either. I watched what happened in the dressing room because I was sure he was lying. I wanted the truth."

"And you saw the truth." Toriel's voice was gentle.

"I did." Frank swallowed again. "And that means I owe you, all of you, an apology."

"I accept it. I am sure they will as well."

"Thanks." He sighed. "You're walking into a world made of lies. You gave me the truth, and that meant I owed you the truth. Now we're even." He looked around again. "I should go."

"Please, wait a moment." Toriel had a considering look. "If we promise not to lie to you, will you promise to not lie to us? And to tell the truth about us?"

Frank smirked. "You don't need my promise. I'd do that anyway."

"But in a world as full of liars as you say, would another do the same?" He raised an eyebrow, and Toriel snorted. "I am sorry if this disappoints you, but monsters can, and do, lie; dishonesty is not unfamiliar to us. And Mayor Vartich has been trying to teach us about politics and the news aboveground."

"No surprise there. Being connected to you is Vartich's shot at getting elected as governor, maybe even senator." Frank raised a hand as Toriel frowned. "Don't get me wrong – like I said, he's a good guy, for a politician. He'll try to help you. But he'll make sure that it helps him, too."

"I-we-do not mind. As you say, we have a common interest."

"Yeah, this time. But if your people's welfare and a politician's ambition are ever opposed?" He shook his head. "That's the real test. Vartich might pass. Might. And he's one of the better ones."

Toriel nodded. "The mayor told us something similar, though he put it differently. And he has told us that not all humans in news are honest, either."

Frank shrugged. "Also true. Report on cheats, liars and hypocrites long enough, and it all starts feeling like part of the game."

"It is not a game we intend to play. We cannot afford to." Toriel stared him in the eye. "Our people were nearly destroyed by humans who feared and distrusted monsters. We cannot let that happen again. We could not hide the truth, even if we wished to do so, and so we decided to be honest – to conceal nothing."

"So you're gonna just let it all hang out?"

Toriel blinked. "What?"

"Sorry. You're going to tell everyone everything they ask about monsters, even if it looks bad?"

"Yes."

Frank grinned. "You know... I think I might believe you. I must be going soft."

"I ask again... if we tell you the truth about us, will you report it honestly?"

"Sure. But don't expect any favors. I'll be checking what you tell me even if I believe you, getting different viewpoints. Truth looks different to different people, you know?"

"But you will not... "slant" it?"

"No. If you tell it straight, I'll report it straight. No pulled punches, no sucker punches."

"Thank you." Toriel smiled.

"Hello, Toriel!" They turned towards the parking lot to see Mr. Feldman walking towards them, Sans following him. "How'd the interview go?"

"It went well, thank you." Toriel said.

"Good! Mr. Wilder wasn't too hard on you?"

"Hey, you know me." Frank's broadcaster's smile was back. "Just give me the facts and I'm happy. But the King's announcement made for one heck of a conclusion."

"Announcement?" Mr. Feldman looked to Toriel, who nodded, smile dropping.

"Yes. But perhaps we should discuss it after we depart."

"I'll just get out of your way." The anchorman waved at the group as he turned and walked back to the building entrance.

"what's up, toriel? something get your goat?" Sans got a small smile that faded quickly.

"Something like that, yes. I shall go tell Frisk and Asgore it is time to depart; I should not be long."

"want us to come with you?"

"Probably better not, Sans. Hate to say it, but somebody might panic if they saw a skeleton walking around in the TV station."

"might scare 'em out of their skin, huh?" Toriel snorted as she turned to go.

Sans considered her as she walked away. "no laughs. guess it's serious. think the interview went okay?"

"I hope so. Wilder's sharp, and he likes mud. If he thinks there's a skeleton in the closet, he'll keep looking until he can haul it into the spotlight."

"remind me not to hide in his closet, then."

"Do you have any idea what kind of announcement King Asgore might have made?"

"nope. guess we'll just have to wait and find out."

"So, w-what do you think?" Alphys said as Chara considered the monitor in her lab. "A-anything wrong?" Asriel peered over his brother's shoulder as Chara clicked and another page of the "How Humans Really Work" website appeared.

"Just a minute..." Chara murmured, scrolling to the bottom of the webpage. "I can't find any errors." He looked over his shoulder at her and nodded. "It looks good, Alphys."

She sighed, shoulders drooping, as Asriel grinned and gave her a thumbs-up. "I think the website looks great!"

Chara stood up and stretched, and Alphys took his place at the computer. "It's a good start." Chara patted Alphys' shoulder. "This will help a lot. You said you'll let everyone on the UnderNet know about it, right?"

"Right! I'm kind of the admin for the UnderNet, so I have everyone's email addresses. So everyone will be able to learn about humans!" Alphys turned a broad smile to the brothers, but then her smile dimmed. "Everyone with a computer, anyway."

Chara shrugged. "We have to start somewhere, and this is a good beginning. We can add more information later, stuff about human history, things like that. On the other hand, it might be easier to just connect the UnderNet to the human Internet."

"I'll talk to Gaster," Alphys said, turning back to the monitor. "He's been interested in the Internet ever since he heard about it. All that information..." She chuckled. "It would be like a dream come true for him."

"Yeah," Asriel said. "It might even be enough to keep him busy for a while."

Chara coughed. "The Internet's... pretty big, Asriel. It'll probably be enough to keep him reading for years."

"If the connection speed's slow, sure," Alphys said as she typed. She turned back at a snort from Chara. "You've never seen Gaster with a book, have you?"

"No. Why?"

"Well..." Alphys looked around her desk, then pointed to a 3-inch-thick book titled, "The Comprehensive Guide to Website Design." "It took me a few days to get through that."

"Okay. And?"

"It took Gaster 15 minutes."

"...Seriously?"

Alphys nodded at Chara. "Seriously."

Asriel picked the book up in both hands. "Oof. How many – 892 pages!" He turned wide eyes to Alphys. "He really read all of that in 15 minutes?"

"He's usually faster, but it was the first time he'd read about that subject."

Asriel set the book down with a thump, and Chara shook his head. "How can he even turn the pages that fast?"

"He's got fast hands. He can draw and write nearly as fast as he can read." Alphys giggled. "Though his handwriting's impossible if you aren't used to it. It's practically a code. It's funny, considering how clear his drawings are."

"knock knock." The trio at Alphys' computer looked at the elevator, and Chara smirked.

"Who's there?"

"dozen."

"Dozen who?"

"dozen anyone wanna let me in?"

Alphys and Asriel groaned as Chara walked to the elevator and pressed the open button, and Sans walked into the lab. "So, how'd the interview go?"

"pretty well, all things considered."

Asriel smiled. "Great!"

Alphys looked more skeptical. "Ah, Sans? What does "all things considered" mean, exactly?"

Sans shrugged. "well, you know. interviews never go completely according to plan. frisk thought they made a good impression, though." He looked at the three faces staring back at him and sighed. "listen, toriel asked me to check in on you guys and send the boys home. they can tell you about it when you get back."

"That's not exactly reassuring." Chara gave Sans a level stare.

"S-Sans? What happened?"

"i'll tell you after i send the kids home, alphys." Sans looked back at Chara, then at Asriel. "frisk was in your guys' room when i left; i'll send you straight there to talk to him. 'kay?"

Chara nodded. "All right." Asriel quickly joined his brother, and they stepped through the opening in the air into their room.

"Thanks, Sans!" Asriel called. The brothers saw Sans give a casual wave as the portal closed, and Asriel turned to Chara. "That is so cool; I wish I could do that."

"Could you? If you practiced enough?"

Asriel sighed. "I dunno. I mean, it's got to be complicated, and I hadn't even gotten fire control down yet before... you know."

Chara nodded, and sighed. "Right." He looked around. "I guess Frisk stepped out for a minute. Let's go find him and ask how things went."

"Okay." Asriel started for the door, but it opened before he'd taken more than a step.

"Hi guys!"

"Hi Frisk!"

"So, how'd it go?"

Frisk closed the door, then walked over to sit on the edge of the bed, where Asriel and Chara joined him. "It went okay."

"Frisk?" Asriel looked at his brother worriedly, taking in Frisk's serious expression. "What happened?"

"Did something go wrong?"

Frisk shook his head at Chara. "No, nothing went wrong, really. The interview guy asked some hard questions, but everything went all right. It's just..." Frisk took a deep breath. "Dad decided on something without asking Mom."

"And now Mom's mad, right?" Chara shook his head. "He promised he wouldn't do that. What was he thinking?"

"Mom's not mad, at least not now. Just worried."

"Worried about what?" Asriel asked.

"Well..."

When Frisk had finished, Asriel's lower lip was quivering. "F-Frisk... is Dad going to be okay?"

"I hope so." Frisk's voice was quiet. "It all depends on what the humans outside decide to do. I asked them to forgive him, but... I don't know." He turned at a noise from Chara, who was staring down, face hidden. "Chara?"

Chara's voice was a hiss. "My fault. Again."

"What?" Frisk looked at Chara's hands squeezing his knees, knuckles white as his fingers tightened.

"I killed myself, Asriel died, and Dad wanted revenge. And now he's offering his life to make up for what he did because of me. My fault." Chara's voice thickened. "He's probably doing this because of what I said at our press conference. I said that everyone should forgive you both, that what happened was my fault, and now... Damn it. DAMN it. I'm going to have killed him AGAIN."

"Chara, stop it!" Asriel reached around his brother, hugging him. "You aren't doing anything wrong."

Chara felt Asriel's tears soaking into his shirt as his brother pressed his head into his shoulder. "Azzy..." Chara's voice had dropped to a whisper. "If Dad dies, it's my fault. And I can't stop it. I can't help him."

"We still love you, Chara." Frisk reached around him from the other side. "And we can still try to help."

"How?"

"By helping humans understand monsters, and monsters understand humans. We can help make sure they won't want to hurt each other. That they won't want to hurt Dad."

Chara sighed. "Do you really think it's going to be that easy? You know what humans are like; they'll want revenge, like I did."

"But aren't some of them like Frisk?" Asriel had lifted his head from Chara's shoulder, showing a pair of shimmering eyes.

"Maybe. They're not the ones I'm worried about, though." Chara sighed, shifting his brothers against his shoulders. "At least it's something to try." Then he cracked a small smile. "Who knows? If Frisk could get me to listen, maybe he can get the other humans to listen too."

There was a knock at the door, then Toriel's voice. "Frisk? Have you seen your brothers?"

Chara answered. "We're here, Mom. Frisk was just telling us about the interview."

"Very well. Dinner is ready; I am going to call Asgore, and then we will eat."

"Okay, we'll be out in a minute."

"Very good."

"Any idea what dinner is?" Chara asked Frisk. He took off his shirt, handing it to Asriel. "You should wipe your face off, Asriel." Chara went to the closet, reaching in for a new shirt, as Frisk answered.

"Toriel asked if I'd mind snail pie; I said that would be okay. Um, is that okay with you guys? Asriel, you like snails, right?"

Asriel had wiped his eyes with Chara's shirt, and looked up with a smile. "Yeah. It's been a while. Frisk, do you like snails?" "I've never had them. What are they like?"

"Oh, they're great! Mom cooks them in butter and garlic and they're chewy and..."

Chara finished putting on his shirt as Asriel continued telling Frisk about the wonders of snails and grinned. "Take it easy, Azzy."

Asriel looked at Frisk's slightly glazed eyes and flushed. "Um, sorry." "It's okay. So snail pie is good?"

"It is." Chara nodded. "It takes a bit of getting used to, but it's good."

"Yeah!"

"So, how was your day? You were working with Alphys, right?"

"Right," Chara said as the brothers moved towards the door. "We helped her set up a website about humans on UnderNet. It'll only get to the monsters who have computers, but it's a good start. We're going to start planning classes for human-monster school tomorrow; Mom said she wants to help, but she's going to be pretty busy."

"And we still have to do our schoolwork," Asriel added as they walked into the hall. "Mom says we need to at least keep up with our math and reading."

"Okay. Want to work on it together after dinner?"

"Sounds good to me."

"Me too."

"You wanted to talk to me, boss?"

"Hey, Frank." The station manager looked up from his cell phone and swiveled to face the anchorman across his paper-strewn desk. "Got a text from the monsters. You been making deals with them or something?"

"Not really." Frank shrugged as he pulled a chair from against the wall and sat, leaning back slightly. "The Queen, Toriel, asked if I'd report on them straight if they didn't try to bullshit us. I said sure, I'd do that anyway. No special favors either way, just straight reporting. Why?"

"This text says that they're making us, our station, their media contacts. Their PRIMARY media contacts. Everything goes to us first."

"What?" Frank leaned forward with a thump. "Everything? You serious?"

"I'm serious. The real question is, are they?" The manager looked Frank in the eye. "What do you think?"

"Well..." Frank leaned back again, looking at the ceiling, then returned the manager's gaze. "If I had to bet? My money says yes."

"Really?" The station manager raised an eyebrow. "You're trusting somebody? YOU?"

"Yeah. You saw the dressing room film?"

"Uh huh."

"Do YOU think they were faking?"

The manager shook his head. "Uh-uh. If that was an act, they deserve an Academy award, especially the kid."

"Agreed." Frank nodded. "And I don't think it was an act. God help me, I think they're honest. Never thought I'd say that about any politician, but I'm saying it."

"From you, that IS something." The manager leaned back, lacing his hands behind his head. "So, how do you want to play the interview?"

"What?" Frank stared at the station manager, who was still examining the ceiling. "You're the boss; why ask me?"

"Just considering options." The manager started rocking gently, making his chair squeak. "How we want to cover this. What kind of angle to use. Play it up tabloid style? Unknown, possibly dangerous, creatures discovered?"

"After the King offered to let any human with a grudge kill him? Doesn't really fit, boss."

"Noble sacrifice, then? What kind of story do we wanna go for?"

"Do we really need one?"

The manager stopped rocking, then tilted forward, eyes meeting Frank's. "Whaddya mean?"

The anchorman took a deep breath. "We both know this is big, boss. History in the making. The first intelligent, non-human creatures humanity has ever met."

"The story of the century, yeah. So what's your point?"

"What if we let the story tell itself? We dig in, get all the facts, all the viewpoints, tell it all, and leave it at that."

"No narrative?" The manager shook his head. "C'mon, Frank. The news isn't just the news, it's entertainment, you know that."

"It's a story, sure." Frank nodded. "But c'mon! This story sells itself. I mean, we've got first contact, royalty, a feel-good adoption story with a poster-child, and drama with the King's offering his life for his people. It's a real-life movie script, and all we have to do is tell it straight! I mean, the only way we could lose is if people think it's bullshit. Show 'em the unedited tape, show 'em history in the making, and we'll have 'em!"

The manager stared at Frank's flushed face, and the anchor coughed and straightened his tie. "You're really sold on them, aren't you?" He shook his head. "I never would've expected you to get snowed, Frank."

"Boss. You saw the interview. You really think they were slinging shit?"

The station manager met Frank's eye, then shook his head. "No. No, I don't."

"Neither do I. Boss... I think I've just met a set of honest politicians. I don't want to screw 'em over."

"Are you going soft on me?"

The anchorman grinned at the manager's expression and leaned back in his chair. "Hey, we're supposed to protect rare and endangered species, right? What's more rare and endangered than honest politicians?"

"Pfff..." The manager rolled his eyes, but couldn't stop himself from grinning.

"And I'm not talking puff pieces," Frank said, leaning forward. "I'm gonna dig. If I find dirt, I'll put it out there. What I'm asking, what the Queen asked for, is for us to tell it straight. The way we thought it was supposed to be when we were in college, remember?"

The manager shook his head, but slowly, his eyes distant. "You know that's not how this business really works. We have to give the people what they want. We have to SELL, Frank."

"And you think this won't? I told you, this is made for TV already. Reality shows sell, boss. Show people something real, give them the truth, and our ratings'll explode."

The manager gave Frank a considering look. "Maybe. You're pretty sold on these guys; you think you can play it straight?"

"Yeah." The anchorman nodded. "I'll do my job. You're right, I want to believe these guys. But I'm going to make damn sure they deserve it. And if they don't, well..." Frank's smile looked like a shark's. "Our viewers deserve to know the truth, you know?"

A knock at the door interrupted their conversation. "Sir? Package for you."

"C'mon in."

Frank turned as the mail clerk entered, crossed to the station manager's desk and placed an opened manila envelope on it.

"Vernon opened it to check; it's safe. Just a letter and a tape."

"Okay, thanks. Tell Vern thanks for me, too."

"Will do, sir." The clerk left, and the manager examined the envelope.

"Want me to take off?" Frank said as he stood.

"Nah, looks like it's from the monsters. Return address just says Mount Ebott. No stamps, either." The station manager tilted the envelope, and a sheet of paper and an old-fashioned tape slid onto his desk. "Let's see... letter's short and to the point. Says this tape has the press conference the kids gave for the monsters, and it explains how they got out of the caves."

"We can compare what they told their people to what they told us, then. You going to watch it now?"

The manager looked at Frank and shrugged. "I got time. You?"

"Yeah. We have anything that'll play this?"

"I think there's a player in the break room; you wanna grab it?"

"Sure. Screening room?"

"Right. I'll meet you there."


	30. Chapter 29

CHAPTER 29

"Burns!" The Director of the FBI, seated at a large conference table, turned from his sweating analyst to face the glare of the Secretary of Defense. "We get contacted by aliens, and the first I hear of it is when the U.S. Government has been asked for comment by a dog-gamn local television station?"

"Good morning, Mr. Secretary," Douglas Burns said, expression relaxed. "Everyone is waiting for the President; explanations of what we know and when we learned it will be part of the briefing."

The SecDef pointed his scowl around the room, noting the Director of the NSA, the Attorney General, and the Secretary of State. His eyes narrowed at an unfamiliar woman leaning over a laptop. "Who's that?"

"Her name is Carla Velasquez; she's on NASA's first-contact protocol list. She has multiple PhDs, in anthropology, psychology and political science."

Cyrus grunted, then turned his stare to the analyst seated by the FBI Director. "And who's this?"

"He's with me. Mark Tyler, FBI evidence analyst."

Mark gulped as the Secretary of Defense's expression darkened. "So you knew about this?"

"Uh... Director Burns ordered me to verify a recording several days ago-"

"Days." The hissed word cut off the analyst, who swallowed again, looking between Cyrus' expression of fury and his boss.

"I told him it was Top Secret clearance," Douglas said. "He's an analyst because he doesn't talk."

"I know why HE didn't say anything." The SecDef shifted his glare to the Director, to the analyst's relief. "That's his job. Part of YOUR job is to make sure security threats don't blindside us!"

"Yeah, it is. And that would be easier if, on reporting those security threats, I didn't get responses ranging from "your jokes need work" to "do you need a psychiatric evaluation?"

Douglas returned Cyrus' glare, and the Secretary of Defense blinked first. "Understood, Director." He shook his head and sighed. "But if these creatures had been hostile... People would be calling for our heads, too, asking how we'd been surprised by attackers from INSIDE the United States, in our own dog-gamn back yard."

The Director nodded, his own expression easing. "I know, and you're right. Re-evaluating our communication channels is an obvious recommendation. But in fairness to the system, this is a pure black swan event. NASA is supposed to have a first contact procedure in place, but all of their assumptions were based on extraterrestrials, not, ah, intra-terrestrials. The closest scenarios they have are for crashed spacecraft, and those assume limited numbers of aliens, not a small city's worth."

"That many?" Cyrus' eyebrows shot up. "How'd we get that number?"

"Mr. President!"

"It'll be part of the briefing," the Director said quickly, as everyone rose at the President's entry.

The President, Manuel Ortega, took a seat at the head of the conference table. "All right. Shall we begin?"

The FBI Director stood and cleared his throat. "Mr. President. Ladies and gentlemen. The FBI was informed ten days ago about the existence of unknown creatures, calling themselves monsters, living underneath Mount Ebott in Washington State." He looked around the room, but saw only attentive faces. "I assigned one of the FBI's top evidence analysts, Mark Tyler," he said, gesturing at the analyst, "to examine the video and audio recordings submitted to us with the initial report; Mr. Tyler finished their verification within 12 hours. Since then, that evidence has been checked by another senior analyst, who confirmed his results."

"You say that the FBI was informed ten days ago," the President said. "We're here because a Washington television station sent the White House Press Secretary a recording of an interview with these, ah, monsters, asking for the United States Government's official response. They assumed that we already knew about the situation." Ortega's expression was neutral, but his voice made his displeasure plain.

"Yes, Mr. President." The FBI Director nodded. "There has been a regrettable delay in distributing our information, mostly because of disbelief in that information. Virtually no one the FBI has contacted prior to this meeting was prepared to accept that non-human, intelligent subterranean creatures had suddenly made themselves known in Washington State. The only organization willing to consider the matter seriously was NASA, who contacted Doctor Carla Velasquez." The Director gestured at her, and Velasquez returned the looks now pointed her way. "Doctor Velasquez met with us and was briefed yesterday. She immediately began working on an analysis of the data we could provide for her, as well as providing suggestions for seeking further information."

"You say your reports weren't believed." The President leaned forward. "What reports?"

"Mr. President, the FBI has treated this situation as having Top Secret classification from first receiving reports about it. We have strictly controlled information distribution, which limited the channels we used to contact other agencies. The FBI has sent classified reports and made requests for secure briefings to the Secretary of Defense, the Director of the NSA, the White House Chief of Staff, and the Director of NASA." Douglas took a deep breath, jaw clenched, before continuing. "Responses from the NSA and the Secretary of Defense's subordinates were to treat these requests as a joke."

The Secretary of Defense grimaced, and the NSA Director nodded, poker-faced, before speaking. "Regrettable. We obviously need to re-examine our intelligence communication arrangements."

"What was the Chief of Staff's response?" President Ortega asked.

"To recommend that I submit to psychiatric examination."

The President sighed. "I see."

The FBI Director nodded. "Yes, Mr. President. I was considering other channels of notification, still treating the situation as Top Secret, when the White House Press Secretary received the recording of a television interview with the monsters' royal family." He coughed. "That, of course, changed the security considerations."

"Yes. So, Director, what information does the FBI have? And how did the Bureau first learn of this situation?"

"The sheriff of Norcott County, Samuel Abrams, is a former FBI agent; I worked with him personally before his retirement. My knowledge of his character and ability persuaded me to take his initial report seriously." Douglas gestured at the folders in front of each person at the conference table. "Doctor Velasquez and analyst Tyler have written a summary of current information about these creatures, and are here to present their analysis and answer questions. Doctor Velasquez?"

"Thank you, Director." Velasquez nodded to Burns, then stood, closing her laptop, as the people around the table opened their briefings. "Our initial report is limited by information currently available, but we believe that what we have been told to date is accurate and reliable. So far the 'monsters' have been completely open, responding promptly to our requests for information. In all honesty, the current situation is a near-optimal first-contact scenario. We're dealing with friendly, intelligent beings who are at a similar technological level, use human language and, apparently, share human psychological traits to an astonishing degree."

"What language? And how did they learn?" Howard Cullum, the Secretary of State, asked.

"So far, all reports are that the 'monsters' both speak and read English," Velasquez said. "As for how, you could call it cultural contamination. It seems that the Ebott River flows through the caves these 'monsters' live in, and their prior knowledge of humanity came from garbage carried down from surface. That should be in the 'Cultural' section of the analysis."

The Attorney General, John Taylor, snorted. "Huh. So they live on garbage?"

"Hardly." The doctor shot an irritated look at Taylor. "If that were the case, they would have died out long ago; check the 'Economics' section. The 'monsters' have used the debris falling into their caves not for subsistence, but as supplement and inspiration. They've adopted many human cultural and technological ideas, and adapted or improved others. They have created a local cell phone network and internet, and much of their cave network is supplied with electricity generated by a geothermal installation they call 'the Core.' These installations were designed by a 'monster,' a 'Doctor Gaster,' and built using materials and devices created by the 'monsters.'"

The Secretary of Defense leaned forward. "They have some industrial capacity, then?"

Doctor Velasquez inclined her head. "Some, but without anything resembling mass production. Their industry is based on artisans and hand-crafting. Given their limited population, large-scale production would be superfluous for them."

"And what is their population? How many monsters are we talking about?" the President asked.

"Between three and four thousand, with 3,700 as a rough estimate," Velasquez said. "The 'monsters' don't take census measurements. Our basis for those numbers is in 'Statistical Estimates.'"

"What's their governmental structure? How are they organized as a society?" The Secretary of State said.

Velasquez turned to face Cullum as she replied. "Despite being a notional monarchy, the 'monsters' have a high degree of personal freedom. The King of the Monsters, Asgore, rules through personal authority and consensus more than positional authority; questions of authority, and attempts at rebellion, have apparently not arisen since the 'monsters' were confined several hundred years ago. Their society resembles some pre-European Native American tribal structures, with authority held through consent and tradition rather than force or coercion."

"About that," President Ortega said. "How did these monsters get under the mountain in the first place? And why has no one heard of them before?"

"By their accounts," Velasquez said, "humans and 'monsters' lived together peacefully for several human generations. However, the two societies grew apart; humans became fearful of the 'monsters,' both for their use of magic and their legends about 'monsters' ' ability to, ah, absorb human souls, increasing their power."

"So they were driven underground because of superstitious fear?" The Attorney General shook his head. "But that doesn't explain why they haven't been heard of before this."

Doctor Velasquez took a deep breath. "Sir, those 'superstitions' were... mostly correct."

"What?" The exclamation was a confused chorus, as the President, NSA Director, Attorney General, and Secretary of State spoke at the same time. The FBI Director, evidence analyst and Velasquez herself remained silent, as did the Secretary of Defense, who was leafing intently through the pages in his briefing folder.

Velasquez raised a hand, and waited for silence before continuing. "The 'monsters' are able to use magic, which they define as 'the power of the will to directly affect the physical world,' as opposed to effects caused through what we would consider normal, physical processes. They do not consider magic to be supernatural; to them, magic is a known and understood phenomenon. That's covered in the sections titled 'Magic' and 'Monster Biology.'"

She waited for comments, but the only sound was the rustle of papers as everyone at the table turned to the 'Magic' section of the brief, followed by mutters and gasps. The next question came from the Secretary of Defense. "So, the monsters can... absorb human souls, and that makes them more powerful, but that turns the monster into a kind of... Jekyll and Hyde creature, with control shifting between the two?"

Doctor Velasquez shook her head. "Not... exactly. It isn't a case of either-or; both individuals in the arrangement, human and 'monster,' are able to exert control at the same time. At least, that's the information we have."

"And how reliable is that information?" The President was looking up from his own folder, brow creased. "This sounds like a potential threat to national security, especially the part about 'godlike power.'"

"Agreed." The SecDef looked grim. "Doctor?"

Velasquez took a deep breath. "Our... information source is the account of the Royal Family's children; their natural son, Asriel, and the two human children they've adopted, Chara and Frisk. The children's description of what happened to them is Appendix A, and includes what they've called a 'press conference' at which they told their story to the 'monsters.' That story is consistent with everything they've told us so far."

"Excuse me, Doctor." Heads turned as the Attorney General spoke. "But after reading your briefing summary on monster biology... I can't believe this."

"Why not, sir?"

"Because it's incredible. You say that these creatures don't excrete, effectively live on good intentions, reproduce through 'special hugs' – it sounds like a description of something from a children's cartoon!" Taylor shook his head. "And practicing magic? 'Absorbing' human souls? Preposterous."

"All of our information will be verified by further study, of course," Doctor Velasquez said. "Medicine is not my area of expertise, but it would be foolish beyond belief for these 'monsters' to both declare that they intend to be completely truthful and open, and then to lie about basic facts of their biology that are unconcealable long-term." She paused, then chuckled. "And their method of reproduction is actually a logical evolutionary development, given what we've been told."

"Oh, really?" The AG raised an eyebrow.

"Yes." Velasquez nodded, smiling. "Given a way to convert food into energy without creating waste products, the 'monsters' would have no need of excretory organs. Sexual intercourse and reproduction in most complex species makes use of those organs, an efficient dual-purposing by nature. The 'monsters' had nothing similar to repurpose, and so evolved another method of doing the same thing. Their 'joining' has the same result as human reproduction, a new child that shares traits of both parents, just accomplished in a different way."

"Ah... yes. I'll take your word for it," the AG said, his face a bit red.

The NSA Director, Conrad Hadley, coughed. "This is fascinating, but if we could return to a more urgent question?" He looked down at the briefing for a moment, then looked up and continued. "According to their account, the monsters' cave was sealed by a barrier which admitted humans, but prevented exit by humans or monsters. This explains why the monsters went unreported for several hundred years. Correct?"

"Yes, that's right."

"And destroying the barrier required an, ahem, 'godlike' force, which could be exerted by a monster who took seven human souls or their equivalents."

"That's what we've been told, yes." Velasquez nodded. "The full account is in Appendix A, and has an attached video file of the children explaining what happened."

"Thank you; I've skimmed it, and read your summary. The point we need to consider, however, is whether something similar could happen again, and what kind of threat that would pose to the United States."

"Agreed." The President looked at Velasquez' frown and sighed. "I understand your position, Doctor Velasquez; these creatures have an unfortunate history and a claim to our sympathy. But our job is protecting the welfare of our country and its citizens, and we have to keep that in mind."

"Yes, Mr. President," the SecDef said. "Taking the stuff in this brief as real, the idea of one of these monsters taking multiple human souls – well, it would be in the WMD scenario category, or worse. You were talking first-contact scenarios earlier? I'd say that a soul-snatching monster lines up with a hostile, more-advanced alien race contact scenario." He looked around the table, face grim. "The commonly held assumption for that scenario's conclusion is that humanity would be destroyed or enslaved."

"That assumes hostile intent."

"And the monsters' king said himself that he had planned to go to war with humanity after breaking the barrier!"

"He ALSO said that he regretted his actions, and offered his own life as a sacrifice to demonstrate that he meant it!"

"Calm down, both of you!" The President rose, interrupting the increasingly loud disagreement between the Doctor and the Secretary of Defense. "Secretary Norton, we are NOT going to launch a preemptive strike on a group of people whose leadership, as Doctor Velasquez has pointed out, is offering their lives in atonement for past actions. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Mister President." The SecDef sat slowly, face still red.

"Doctor Velasquez. We will respond appropriately to these creatures; so far their words and actions have been friendly, and that will be honored. But!" The President said, cutting off Velasquez' smile. "We ALSO have to consider possible events and make plans to deal with them, however unpleasant or unlikely. We will not attack without cause, but we must be prepared against potential threats."

Velasquez sighed, letting her shoulders relax. "Yes, Mister President."

"Good." The President nodded and took his seat. "Now, we need to decide on plans and priorities. The Department of Defense's role is an obvious one, to start making contingency plans in case of hostile actions, by either monsters OR humans. I don't want to see a genocide on American soil under my watch."

"Yes, Mr. President."

"Director Burns, Director Hadley. I want you to start planning operations to gain information about the monsters; their abilities, their intentions. Also, plans for detecting any group that might intend to attack them, from xenophobia, fear, or any other reason."

"What about the CIA? Shouldn't they be involved?" Doctor Velasquez said.

"No, Doctor." The NSA Director answered her. "The CIA is only authorized to monitor activities outside of the United States; the FBI is in charge of domestic intelligence activities, with the exception of electronic sources. Those are the NSA's responsibility."

"So we're considering the caves of the 'monsters' American soil?"

"Well, they ARE in Washington State." The FBI Director shrugged. "And if we do treat them as a sovereign nation, precedent with Native American reservations still says it's the FBI's ball game."

The President grunted. "That brings up another point. We need to consider legal and diplomatic issues - whether the monsters have a claim to Mount Ebott, how we handle human contact, sightseers and tourists, land transfer for moving the monsters above ground..." He trailed off.

The Attorney General shook his head. "That's going to be complicated. I can tell you right now, if they can demonstrate several hundred years of residency, they've got a solid case for right of possession. Definitely of the caves, probably of the mountain, questionably of some of the land around the mountain. I'll start checking precedents."

"We'll need to appoint an ambassador," the Secretary of State said. "Did I read the brief correctly? The monsters' current ambassador is a child?"

"Yes," Doctor Velasquez said. "We need to confirm whether that's a permanent arrangement; I suspect that it was a selection born of necessity, since Frisk was one of a very few people familiar with both humans and monsters. He might transition to a more ceremonial role as a 'good-will' ambassador, or take on an advisory role, after relations are formalized." She shook her head. "From what we know of his background he's an exceptional child, but I hope they don't intend to keep him as ambassador permanently; it's more responsibility than a child should have to carry."

"Doctor Velasquez?" The President waited for her attention. "I want an investigatory committee to study the monsters, and I want you on it, possibly leading it. Would you accept?"

"Certainly. If my university objects, which they won't, then I'll resign. Any researcher, any academic with an atom of ambition or curiosity, would give their favorite arm for an opportunity like this. Doing primary research on a previously unknown species, who have the ability to practice objectively verifiable magic?" Doctor Velasquez laughed. "The problem will be keeping them away!"

"We'll need to come up with something for that." The President looked around the table. "Remember, we still have to go through Congress for authorization. All we can do for now is start planning. But we need to be ready to act as soon as possible; we're already behind on our reaction to this. We're lucky that TV station didn't go straight to air with their interview and leave us looking like slack-jawed idiots."

"Dog-gamn lucky." The Secretary of Defense stood. "Doctor, Director Burns. I hope you'll keep the Department of Defense informed of any new developments with the monsters?"

"We'll keep you updated, Mr. Secretary. Just make sure it's treated seriously this time."

"Count on it." Cyrus nodded at Burns, then picked up his briefing folder and began moving around the table as the others did the same.

"Mr. Secretary?" Doctor Velasquez said, approaching him.

"Yes, Doctor?" The SecDef turned to face the academic.

"I know your responsibility is to protect the United States, but..." Her voice trailed off, and Cyrus grimaced.

"Ma'am, let me try and save you some time. What you're trying to say is, please don't hurt the monsters if I can help it. Right?"

"Yes! They've already been through enough, we shouldn't-"

The SecDef held up a hand, interrupting her. "I understand, ma'am. I even agree with you. I don't know if you hold the same view of the military as some academics-"

Velasquez chuckled. "My primary interest is human behavior, Mr. Secretary. And I accept that violence is a historic and natural part of the human condition." She frowned. "An unfortunate part, but one that must be acknowledged."

"Yes, ma'am." Cyrus nodded. "And I agree with you on that, too. I do my job because it's necessary, not because I love war. I'm not eager to attack a new species, especially when one of their first actions is to offer their leader's life for peace. But their ability to take souls..." The SecDef grimaced again. "It sounds like every one of those monsters is a potential WMD."

"It's not that simple. Control between the monster and human is a shared experience, and it's unlikely that a human would allow their 'monster' partner to attack without restraint. Both I and Mr. Tyler are certain the children were telling the truth about their experience, and they were quite definite about their shared control over actions."

"So, you'd need a human and a monster who both agreed ..." Cyrus shook his head. "Sorry, ma'am. Doctor. Just running scenarios. Believe me, I'll be as happy as you if it turns out the monsters aren't a potential threat."

"My email address and phone number are on the last page of the briefing, Mr. Secretary. I'll be glad to answer any questions about the 'monsters' that aren't explained in our analysis."

"Thank you, Doctor. By the way, why do you keep saying 'monsters' like that?"

Velasquez grimaced. "Because I detest the implications of the word, and they are completely unfitting for the creatures who are calling themselves 'monsters.' They are no more cruel or violent than humans, and I consider them more fascinating than frightening."

"So, monsters who aren't monstrous. Not-monsters." The SecDef paused, then grinned. "Non-sters?"

"You have a talent for word-play, Mr. Secretary."

"Thank you. Comes in handy with my wife; she doesn't like cursing, so I compromised."

"And so you created 'dog-gamn'?"

"Yep." The SecDef looked towards the Secretary of State, who was gesturing at him. "Seems I need to go. Thank you for your for work, Doctor Velasquez."

"And thank you, Mr. Secretary." Velasquez walked back to her laptop and sat down. (Hmm. Nonsters... yes, that would do nicely. First impressions and associations are important. And Jerry wanted to try that 'spreading a new word' project again...) She smiled as she began an email to her friend, the Professor of Media Studies at UC Berkeley.


End file.
